Alliance For Real Democracy DNC Schedule Released

Highlights: Cynthia McKinney, CodePink, Resurrection City Free University--focusing on praxis and theory, Flobots, Cornel West.

Lowlights: Cynthia McKinney, CodePink, Resurrection City Free University--focusing on praxis and theory, Flobots, Cornel West.

Via NotMyTribe:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23

All Day City Park
Set up at City Park

Afternoon (TBD) City Park
Resurrection City Free University
Non-Violence Training

5:00 - 10:00 PM Gates Crescent Park
Welcoming BBQ & Drinks for the Delegates

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 24

All Day Platte River & Cherry Creak Trails
AFSC Banners
AFSC is planning on displaying banners for about 100 yards in each direction from REI.

All Day City Park
Art Installations
A variety of art pieces representing progressive ideals.

(9:00 AM
Begin at the WEST STEPS OF THE CAPITOL.
End on Speer Blvd in front of the Pepsi Center.
End the Occupations March and Rally
March to end all illegal imperialist occupations in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hawaii, North America, and others.)

1:00 PM Various Denver Locations
Funk the War: Dance for Peace
A creative action with an emphasis on music and visuals. Smaller feeder marches lead to a central location with a concert.

Immediately Following Funk the War/Dance Party for Peace City Park
Concert featuring: Son of Nun, Jello, Brian Harvey, David Rovics

7:00 PM Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater
Evening of Conscience: No Attack on Iran
Feature performances on opposing any moves towards a U.S. attack on Iran.

(Evening Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St.
Progressive Welcome to Denver)

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MONDAY, AUGUST 25

10:30 AM City Park
Town Hall Meeting
Brief ARD meeting to review the day.

12:00 - 6:00 PM City Park
Resurrection City Free University
A free university focusing on praxis and theory

5:00 PM City Park
Nomination of Partyless Youth Ticket
A chance for the youth to nominate a candidate that speaks to them.

Evening (TBD) TBD
Cynthia McKinney Speech
Speech by presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney.

6:30 PM City Park
CODEPINK Concert
A concert highlighting many powerful and talented women.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 26

10:30 AM City Park
Town Hall Meeting
Brief ARD meeting to review the day.

11:00 AM Skyline Park
A Walk in their Shoes
Thousands of shoes will represent the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died.

12:00 - 6:00 PM City Park
Resurrection City Free University
A free university focusing on praxis and theory

3:00 PM City Park
Concert featuring Blue Scholars, David Rovics, and others.

Afternoon (TBD) City Park
Partyless Youth Platform
The youth will be given an opportunity to create their platform.

Afternoon/ Evening (TBD) Downtown
Operation First Casualty
Street theater that demonstrates the reality of war.

(6:30 PM City Park
Democratic Party “Watching Party”
Local Democrats will host a big-screen TV for non-seated Democrats to watch the Convention.)

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27

10:30 AM City Park
Town Hall Meeting
Brief ARD meeting to review the day.

12:00 - 6:00 PM City Park
Resurrection City Free University
A free university focusing on praxis and theory

12:00 Noon City Park
Concert featuring: Flobots, State Radio, The Coup, Wayne Kramer, Son of Nun, Jello, and others.

Afternoon (TBD) City Park
Partyless Youth Acceptance Speech
The Partyless Youth nominee will give an acceptance speech.

3:30 PM TBD
IVAW March to End the War
Iraq Veterans Against the War will march in opposition to the war in Iraq.

(Evening Buelle Theater
Cultural Events: Cornel West and the Flobots)

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 28

10:30 AM City Park
Town Hall Meeting
Brief ARD meeting to review the day.

TBD TBD
Immigrant Rights March and Rally
The march, with a national scope, will provide a venue for immigrants and their allies to demonstrate their decree for just and fair reform for our country’s broken immigration system.

12:00 - 6:00 PM City Park
Resurrection City Free University
A free university focusing on praxis and theory

(TBD INVESCO Field
Obama’s Acceptance Speech
Obama will give his acceptance speech to 75,000 people at INVESCO Field. ARD hopes to have a presence outside.)

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 29

All Day City Park
Tear Down and Clean Up
All of ARD will be needed to help clean and clear City Park

All Day TBD
Buses to St. Paul
ARD would like to help coordinate buses and carpooling to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention.

Hickenlooper, Tent State Meet To Discuss Protestors Camping In City Park

Closed-door discussions to resolve the issue of thousands of protestors congregating in City Park with nowhere to camp, since city law prohibits overnight camping in Denver's parks:

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper suggested alternative campsites and buses Tuesday to resolve a controversy over allowing thousands of protesters to camp in City Park during the Democratic National Convention, according to those involved in the closed-door discussions.

"We're open to any resolution," said Tent State University organizer Adam Jung, who is urging the city to allow anti-war demonstrators to pitch tents in City Park. He detailed conversations he had Tuesday with the mayor and other city officials.

The city issued an assembly permit for Tent State University in the southwest corner of the park as long as the group met certain conditions, such as appeasing the concerns of neighbors and the nearby Denver Zoo and Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

As many as 20,000 protesters are expected daily at Tent State University, Jung said. And he expects about 5,000 would like to camp overnight.

There's one hitch. City laws prohibit camping in the park.

The issue has roiled city officials, with some City Council members in favor of relaxing the camping ban and others saying doing so could create a dangerous mess for the park as well as set an unwise precedent.

Thousands of campers and hundreds of tents would be quite an unwelcome, and very likely unsanitary situation. Inclement weather would turn the park into a pit, and the availability of adequate security and facilities doesn't seem likely given Tent State's shaky reputation.

The precedent, however, would be enormous, but the city has itself to blame for granting the provisional park permit in the first place. Now Hickenlooper is forced to meet in private with protestors in order to figure out a way to accommodate the crowd expected in City Park. Suggesting buses and an alternative camp site raises questions about the city's commitment to being green--one that Jung points out--and where, exactly, the protestors would be bused from. It isn't likely that many suburbs would welcome thousands of protestors into their neighborhoods for the duration of the DNC.

And why is the Mayor meeting Tent State in private? It is not clear if a public hearing or some other procedure will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Denver Considers Protest Tool Ban For DNC

"Diversity of tactics" meet Denver City Council's newest proposed ordinance (curiously prepared back in April):

The prospect of protesters linking themselves with devices that bolt cutters can't sever or throwing buckets of feces on police has Denver considering putting a new law on the books before the Democratic National Convention.

Demonstrators would be banned from having items such as chains, quick-setting cement, homemade locking devices that are resistant to bolt cutters and "any noxious substance," City Council members said Monday.

"Protesters are getting pretty sophisticated," said Councilman Doug Linkhart, chairman of the council's safety committee.

"In other cities, they're not just handcuffing themselves to each other," he said. "They put their handcuffs inside PVC tubes, which are inside concrete. They've figured out ways that keep the police from just using bolt cutters to cut them apart. They also use buckets of urine and feces and various noxious substances to pour on themselves or the police."

Denver's proposed ordinance would make it illegal to carry any "tool, object, instrument or other article" that can be used to obstruct streets, sidewalks and entry or exits from buildings or for hindering emergency equipment.

"We're just trying to very narrowly define an area where, if they have these kinds of tools and we can prove intent, then we can arrest them," Linkhart said.

Recreate WTO '99! Urine, feces, noxious substances, oh my!

The broad definition will most likely make the new ordinance "more restrictive" than the one passed last month by Arapahoe County. More ACLU challenges, Glenn Spagnuolo quotes, and moonbat shrieking (and hilarity) to ensue:

Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, another safety committee member, said Denver's proposal is "more restrictive" than an ordinance approved by Arapahoe County, where some of the convention delegates will be staying.

Last month, Arapahoe County commissioners passed an ordinance that makes it unlawful for demonstrators to carry shafts, rods, projectile launchers and other potential weapons at picket lines and other public assemblies.

While the Arapahoe County ordinance deals with specific weapons, Denver's focuses on tools that could impede police.

The ban in Arapahoe County also includes gas masks.

Linkhart said Denver police wanted to include gas masks and bulletproof vests in the list of banned items, but council members saw those more as items for personal protection than something that could be used for disruptive purposes.

Linkhart has requested a public hearing on the proposed law, which would stay on the city's books after the convention Aug. 25-28.

A special safety committee meeting has been scheduled for July 23.

And will be well attended by the tinfoil/R68! alliance. The new ordinance, if passed, would also likely face testing at the annual Columbus Day Parade protestpalooza in addition to the proceedings at the DNC.

This appears to be a direct response to the indirect "diversity of tactics" mentioned repeatedly across the various sites of the protest groups planning activities at the DNC--vaguely defined, these "tactics" are intended to halt proceedings and impede the delegates, as well as bog traffic down and tie up police forces. The availability of tools making it more difficult to break up a group of determined protestors will only exacerbate the problem, lengthen delays, and create more opportunity for confrontation. Even with arms linked, protestors at the last Columbus Day caused delays of over an hour, and this action was limited to one street corner, a few hundred protestors, one parade, and a quiet Saturday morning. Anything but the type of conditions that will be presented at the DNC.

Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 55-49

**The Daily Digest will resume its normal schedule this week**

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Tuesday July 1-Monday July 7, 2008--No. 55-49

Blogs:

•Barack Obama at Invesco Field--it's official . . .

•Drunkablog--Despite the DNCC's protestations to the contrary, not everything is going well for the DNC, including the much-reported dismal fundraising efforts, and Mayor John Hickenlooper strays off the "everything's just fine" story line by complaining that he can't "sell" the DNC to donors

•Drunkablog digs a little deeper into the new Alliance for Real Democracy that replaced Recreate '68s umbrella organization (which includes SDS, Tent State, Iraq Veterans Against the War, CodePink, and some Truthers) and notes that, in addition to stealing Recreate '68s ideas, followers, and musicians, it also appears to be following in the same footsteps of claiming to be non-violent while advocating potentially violent actions--progress and change indeed

•NY TImes' critique of DNCC's handling of the DNC raises questions about Democrats' ability to plan/organize/govern; no less than Aaron Myers, the director of online communications for the DNCC, shows up in comments to refute the paper of record's accusations

•Planners of the massive "pro-immigration" march on the second day of the DNC expect 50000, do not have permits to march along their preferred route, and have invited Barack Obama to join them

•Rush Limbaugh weighs in again on Recreate '68 and the DNC

•Drunkablog establishes that Glenn Spagnuolo and his minions at Recreate '68 have managed to alienate, well, just about everyone (with plenty of links):

So let's tot up the score. Feminists hate !Recreate68 because it's a patriarchal hellhole stuffed full of imperialist "brother dicks"; Troofers hate R!68 because even R!68 figured out that Troofer-brand craziness is a liability; middle-class white peaceniks hate R6!8 because R68! wants violence; and now blacks hate R68!! because it comes off as, well, racist.

•D-blog examines the city's plans to keep the homeless of Denver in Denver during the DNC (with flat-screen TVs!) and notes the NY Times' coverage of the move

•D-blog tries to keep up with who's in and who's out (mostly out) of Recreate '68 after the recent internecine squabbles

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•DemConWatch--says the LA Times has confirmed that Barack Obama's acceptance speech will be at Invesco Field, not Pepsi Center, MSM plans emergency meeting to confront logistical nightmare; announcement on venue change to come Monday; Obama campaign remains unhappy with DNC preparations

•DemConWatch--the last time outdoor speech was tried (1960/JFK/Coliseum in LA), it didn't go so well, managing to tick off the MSM of the day who noticed (and reported) the half-empty stadium, despite a year of planning

•DemConWatch--has a short roundup; extensive details on the traveling Presidential memorabilia exhibit planned for Invesco Field's parking lot during the DNC; MSM plans only 1 hour of coverage a night, relegating "gavel-to-gavel" coverage to cable, Internet

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•The Colorado Independent reveals some "street art" that has gone up in anticipation of the DNC--featuring John McCain as the Grim Reaper and the MSM as--wait for it--vultures; more expensive DNC events and potential celebrity sitings; supporters of Hillary Clinton plan to demand a roll-call vote at the convention to preserve the "democratic process"

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All previous Daily Digests can be found here.

DNC Protest Groups File Bigger Lawsuit, Seek More Concessions

Give 'em an inch:

Groups wanting to protest at the Democratic National Convention filed new court challenges to Denver and the Secret Service's rules governing protests and parades, saying they violate the public's right to free speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents 13 protest groups, has filed an amended complaint in federal court asking U.S. District Judge Marcia S. Krieger to order the city and Secret Service to make changes.

What are the protestors seeking?

Glad you asked:

Move the "public demonstration zone," a fenced area where groups would be allowed to protest, to be within sight and sound of delegates entering the Pepsi Center.

The zone is currently planned for a corner of Lot A, or VIP parking, farthest from the Pepsi Center entrance.

"No human voice, or any other sound ... can ever hope to reach a person at the entrance to the Pepsi Center from inside the Public Demonstration Zone," the ACLU wrote in court documents.

No sound perhaps, but the wafting patchouli/body odor might be overwhelming. Believe me, the delegates will know the protestors are there.

Next:

Allow protesters to hand out leaflets to delegates or others attending the convention who are within the "hard security zone," or secured perimeter, of the Pepsi Center. The city has said this will not be allowed, according to the ACLU lawsuit.

Nope. Security concerns aside, leaflets aren't "green." Come on protestors, get on the "green" bandwagon!

Allow parades to pass near the Pepsi Center and at times when delegates are present.

The city's approved parade route runs from near Civic Center, west on Colfax Avenue and north on Speer Boulevard, and ends at Seventh Street and Auraria Parkway, which is the entry and exit point for the public demonstration zone in Parking Lot A.

It does not include Chopper Circle or Ninth Street, as the protest groups want.

The city is allowing parades only between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Convention organizers have said delegates will arrive at the Pepsi Center around 3 p.m. each day.

Unlikely, though corraling thousands of protestors left over from the afternoon parades into the small public demonstration zone in Lot A or getting them to disperse before the Pepsi Center will be a tall task.

Approve alternate parade routes for two groups. One group wants to hold an immigration parade that would start at 29th Street and Speer and run south to Sunken Gardens park. The other wants to march from Civic Center to the federal courthouse at 18th and Stout Streets to urge the release of political prisoners. The city has denied both requests.

City officials and the Secret Service have said they must balance the rights of people to express themselves with the need for security during the DNC, scheduled for Aug. 25 to 28.

They insist the public will still have ample opportunity to communicate with the delegates and others attending the convention.

Krieger has scheduled an all-day hearing for July 29 to consider the ACLU's requests.

Protestors want "Parade-A-Palooza" and the city has bent over backwards allowing at least SIXTEEN hours of parades during the four days of the convention. That is all, apparently, not enough.

20K Anti-War Protestors Plot DNC Camp Out At City Park

There's just one snag--they can't stay past 11pm--but first the moonbats from Tent State discuss the small city they are hoping will arrive in Denver:

Neighbors are bracing for 20,000 anti-war protesters planning a five-day camp in City Park during the Democratic National Convention.

The city issued an assembly permit for Tent State University to bring the tribe of college kids from across the country for an "alternative university" Aug. 24-28 in the southwest corner of the park.

"Come to Denver to end a war!" declares the Web site for Tent State University, which describes itself as "a a positive, youth-led initiative to fund education instead of war."

Tent State will be a staging area "to experience real democracy" and DNC protests and it will be a campus for "classrooms" teaching nonviolent antiwar tactics and strategies, the Web site says.

But organizers have to iron out some big kinks before they can pitch the tent city just two months from now.

While city statement said the permit is for "approximately 20,000 participants," chief Tent State organizer Adam Jung said he dreams of luring up to 50,000 protesters if he locks up hot music acts ranging from political hip-hop to Southern honky tonk.

Honky Tonk?

Now for that pesky city law that might put a crimp in their plans:

The hang-up: Overnight camping is illegal in the park.

That means each night, thousands of protesters could be forced to exit the park by 11 p.m., roaming the city for places to sleep. Jung says there's not enough nearby hotel rooms at prices college students can afford.

"It's not a camp out," said City Councilwoman Carla Madison, whose district includes the 314-acre park, home to Denver Zoo, a golf course, tennis courts, a lake with paddle boating, and popular music and arts festivals.

"The park closes at 11 p.m. and they have to be gone," she said.

But if you think that the city is planning a hard-line application of its laws, then think again. More negotiations and "dialogue" are planned:

"Now, don't ask me how it's really going to shake out," Madison added. "But that's the way it's going to be: that they can put their tents up, but they can't camp out in them."

Organizer Jung is hopeful that ongoing negotiations with city officials will allow the group to camp overnight at the park.

"We've met with the mayor and we've met with police officials and they're very reasonable people," said Jung, a 28-year-old, raised in a Missouri farm family who hopes to draw people from across the political spectrum to the tent city. I think the city is open to it.

"Our main argument is, if people are allowed to camp, is that we retain control over the entire event," he said. "We're bringing in professional security, so we can direct the energy and we can keep it safe and ... a very positive event."

But, he added, "If we have to figure out a way to remove all of these people at 10 or 11 at night, it becomes very problematic."

"That's what happened in Chicago," Jung said, referring to the 1968 Democratic National Convention's notorious clashes between Vietnam War protesters and Chicago riot police.

Recreate '68 in City Park.  At least it will be a scenic riot.

Also with "professional security." That should go well.

Recreate '68 Splinter Group "Alliance For Real Democracy" Promises Non-Violence, Won't Discuss Split

The non-violence is in their bylaws--take that Glenn Spagnuolo!

A new coalition of protest groups promises free concerts, art displays, classes for activists and a "massive" anti-war march during this summer's Democratic National Convention.

The Alliance for Real Democracy is made up of 12 groups, many led by activists in their early 20s and 30s.
. . .
"This is as much a part of the process as going to a very formal convention," said Jojo Pease, an organizer with Students for a Democratic Society.

Some of the groups were previously affiliated with the Re-Create 68 Alliance, but split off after a disagreement over tactics.

Re-Create 68 has promised demonstrations that will rival those at the notorious Democratic convention in Chicago held in 1968, which was accompanied by street battles between police and anti-Vietnam War demonstrators.

Members of the Alliance for Real Democracy wouldn't talk Tuesday about Re-Create 68 or the split.

But they released bylaws that say the group "will not use or return violence - verbal or physical - toward any person or other creature," and will not damage property, bring weapons to protests or use illegal drugs or alcohol during events.

Re-Create 68, meanwhile, has said that if confronted with violence by police, members will defend themselves.

Who they are and how they party:

The Alliance for Real Democracy includes groups such as CODEPINK, the Green Party, Tent State University, the Denver International Socialist Organization and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Members declined to say how many people they are expecting at their events, and some details - such as dates and locations of concerts - have not been finalized.

The anti-war parade is scheduled for the Sunday before the convention, which starts Aug. 25 and runs through Aug. 28 at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.

The concerts will include a guitarist who played in protest of the Vietnam War during the 1968 convention in Chicago, as well as a local hip-hop group, according to organizers.

Among other events planned is an "aerial image," in which thousands of people will use their bodies to form a message to release detainees at Guantanamo Bay and to stop torture, said Zoe Williams, a member of CODEPINK, an anti-war group whose name is a play on President Bush's color-coded terror alert level.

Alliance for Real Democracy--the kinder, gentler version of Recreate '68.

Same moonbats, minus the heated rhetoric. And bodies, lots of bodies, apparently

**Update--Drunkablog has another Recreate '68 roundup, and asks the question no one else would (or wants the answer to, really): But will they be naked?

My eyes, MY EYES!