DNC Protester Dos and Don'ts Released

**Update--Jeralyn Merritt at 5280.com has posted a pdf of the pamphlet.

We're waiting for a fuller report including the pamphlet itself, but law enforcement has announced that a pamphlet will be distributed to protesters reminding them of their rights--and their legal obligations--in conducting themselves during the DNC:

Police have issued some advice to protesters at the Democratic convention about what they can and can't do.

A pamphlet tells protesters they can be arrested if they refuse an order to disperse, even if they aren't breaking any law. Other grounds for arrest include blocking streets, sidewalks or parades and disrupting public assemblies.

Police say it doesn't matter if those actions are civil disobedience or symbolic actions.

Police also remind protesters of their rights. They can protest on public sidewalks without a permit as long as they leave enough room for others to pass and obey traffic signals. Speech that angers other people is protected, but speakers can be arrested for advocating violence or breaking the law.

Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 was quick to reject the pamphlet:

It was put together with the help of the city's Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations and modeled after reminders issued by other previous convention cities, such as Los Angeles, said Lucia Guzman, the agency's executive director. She said thousands of copies have been printed and they'll also be available after the convention leaves town.

Glenn Spagnuolo, co-founder of protest group Recreate 68, said he thinks it's the police, not protesters, who need a reminder about the First Amendment.

"We have a pamphlet called the Constitution. A lot of us have read it already," he said.

Spagnuolo also thinks the pamphlet's arrest warning is intended to discourage people from protesting at the convention, which starts Monday.

Guzman disagreed.

"We've always meant it as a supportive document. I'm sorry people are looking at it the other way," she said.

It is doubtful that any such document, whether well or ill-intended, would do much to sway protesters from their self-appointed demonstrations.

Just as the protesters began issuing their preemptive "law enforcement is to blame" for any violence meme months ago, Denver's law enforcement is trying to do a little preemption of their own by giving protesters advanced warning.

It's gonna be a fun week.

More from Spagz and Unconventional Action:

"We are making a commitment to non-violence," said Glenn Spagnuolo of Re-create '68, a group planning protests for a variety of progressive causes.

"We'd like to see minimal show of force by the police unless necessary," Spagnuolo said. "They could stage out of sight from the protest and be called in case they're needed at a protest."

Asked for a successful example of a mass protest marked by mutual respect between protesters and police, Spagnuolo pointed to a large anti-war rally outside the Republican National Convention in New York City in 2004.

"When people said, 'OK, we're being allowed to protest, we're being allowed to march,' there's no reason to get in that kind of confrontational, adversarial role, and it went off without a hitch," Spagnuolo said.

Ben Yager of the activist group Unconventional Denver hedged when asked if activists planned to be arrested and incarcerated during DNC protests. Asked to define success for his organization, he defined disruption.

"Everything's pre-decided, everything's preplanned," Yager said. "They have a script of everything they're going to say and making them deviate from that script, making them step outside the box of what they are comfortable doing and address what democracy really is."

Still, Yager says he did not see any point in antagonizing police into violent confrontations.

"I don't think anyone gets satisfaction out of getting beat up," Yager said.

Of course, some of the law enforcement buildup and planning stems from the earlier heated rhetoric from protesters like Spagnuolo.

Tent State Protestors Seek Shelter Outside City Park, Whine About Denver "Not Helping"

Awww, poor Tent Staters couldn't convince the city of Denver to toss out it's long-standing no-camping rule in city parks. Boo hoo--take your unhygienic, patchouli-laced nuttiness elsewhere:

A leader of a group that had hoped to camp thousands of protesters in City Park during the Democratic National Convention said he hopes to announce a possible alternative Wednesday.

Tent State University organizer Adam Jung said the group remained disillusioned over how city officials have handled the camping suggestions.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and other officials have said they will stick to the city's ban against camping in the park.

Tent State has a conditional use permit to use the park during the convention, but Hickenlooper and other officials have said protesters must leave the park at 11 p.m. Tent State still must submit detailed plans to city officials on Friday for final approval of the group's plans for the park.

Jung said the group now is coming up with alternatives that could alleviate the camping controversy, but he declined to give specifics.

"We're doing this on our own," he said. "The city certainly isn't helping us."

Take note. This is a window into the mind of the moonbat.

Protest the city, decry it's ordinances, whine about treatment. Then complain that that same city "isn't helping."

That's what years of moonbat indoctrination about the dependence on others, namely the government, results in--a complete uselessness of the individual. You are nothing without the all-knowing nanny-state. You can't think for yourself. You are dependent on others for everything. Whine about "oppression," and then whine about not being helped by your "oppressors."

Pathetic.

Denver's "Noxious Substances" Ordinance Passes 12-0, Moonbats Fume

Drunkablog has an extensive written recap of the proceedings.

Here is video of Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 attacking City Councilman Doug Linkhart (the bill's author and source of the "house of urine" story) and being chastised for using expletives, as well as Adam Jung of Tent State and Barbara Cohen offering their thoughts on the proposed ordinance, which passed 12-0:



Part II--including Recreate '68 resident puppet guru, Tom Mesnick:



Part III:

MSM Rediscovers DNC Protestors For The 1000th Time; Obama At Invesco Ticket Plans Produce More Questions Than Answers

Not much new here--a repetition of plans for "non-violence" and preemptive blame on police, with neither police nor protestors discussing plans in any great detail--except that they will be watching the watchers watch them (or something like that):

Dozens of protest groups are planning a full schedule of classes, concerts, marches and other actions during the Democratic National Convention, hoping to capture the world's attention and recruit a new crop of activists.

They are both energized and organized, and most insist they are not looking for trouble.

"We are completely peaceful," said Rob Weiland, a 37-year-old courier from Denver and member of the group We Are Change Colorado. "We follow the ideals of Ghandi."

The organization will be videotaping other groups and police during the DNC, scheduled for Aug. 25 to 28.

They'll post the videos on YouTube or the group's Web site, so the public may see what's happening without the filter of mainstream media, Weiland said.

If any protest groups are provoking police, he added, "our cameras will be on them."

So will ours.

---

Barack Obama's speech at Invesco Field has many unanswered questions, with just a little over a month to go--the who, what, and how many are still unclear:

How many people will get in? How will tickets be distributed? Where will the stage be set up? What time will Obama, the Democratic Party's presumed presidential nominee, give his historic speech?

All of it is still on the drawing board.

"When we roll it out, we want to roll it out right," said Jenny Backus, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign.

Then there's security, those pesky protestors, any potential Clinton infiltrators, road blockages to resolve, where everyone will park, etc.

We'll keep you updated.

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.

Democratic National Convention Countdown, No. 62

Democratic National Convention Daily Digest and Open Thread
Tuesday June 24, 2008--No. 62

MSM:

•DNC will be simulcast in Spanish for the first time ever, via Comcast.

Blogs:

•20K protestors led by Tent State will assemble in City Park (with permit), but no overnight camping (illegal) will be allowed.

•Protestors near Pepsi Center will be peering out through a wire mesh fence.

•Drunkablog--Younger generation of activists with plans for the DNC nauseatingly featured in the Post, with CodePink's Zoe Williams and Tent State's Adam Jung.

•Drunkablog--Students for a Democratic Society reaffirm their "non-violent" plans to disrupt the DNC.

•Drunkablog--Recreate '68 unhappy that new parade permits won't include routes of the group's own choosing.

---

All previous Daily Digests can be found here.

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.

DNC Protestors Facing A Crackup As Recreate '68 Struggles To Retain Power; DNC Sponsors Bring Money To Politics

"The conflict was over R-68’s unfortunate name – a reference to the bloody 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago – and the rhetoric of the group’s leadership, interpreted by many as needlessly aggressive and reckless. Despite this blatant rift, Spagnuolo and the Cohens stuck with their assertion that their group would be playing host to “tens of thousands of protesters” this August"--Westword

Things aren't going well for Glenn Spagnuolo and his allies at Recreate '68--seems a rift in the movement has developed as power struggles plague the groups preparing for the Democratic National Convention:

So Tent State University is on the outs with their protest brethren at Re-create '68. What gives? Last Friday, when the ACLU held a press conference to declare it had filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Denver and the Secret Service, it seemed that all was well in the land of DNC protest. On hand at the confab were representatives of Re-create '68 – Glenn Spagnuolo and Mark and Barbara Cohen – as well as those of Tent State University, Code Pink and Escuela Tlatelolco and the American Indian Movement of Colorado. But more significant were the additional groups listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit: United for Peace and Justice, the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, and the American Friends Service Committee.

This list was important because all three of the pacifist outfits had told Westword last October that they were NOT interested in working with R-68, which had pronounced itself the umbrella organizer for DNC protests as early as January 2007. Leaders of the Colorado Progressive Coalition, the Colorado Green Party and the national ANSWER Coalition expressed similar sentiments about R-68. The conflict was over R-68’s unfortunate name – a reference to the bloody 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago – and the rhetoric of the group’s leadership, interpreted by many as needlessly aggressive and reckless. Despite this blatant rift, Spagnuolo and the Cohens stuck with their assertion that their group would be playing host to “tens of thousands of protesters” this August.

So the fact that orgs like United for Peace and Justice – a national network of 1,400 groups – had signed on to the ACLU lawsuit suggested that R-68 and the peaceniks had resolved their differences. But appearances can be deceiving. In advance of the lawsuit filing, apparently critics of R-68, as well as some of their former supporters,had been quietly lobbying Spagnuolo and the Cohens for weeks to back off their leadership roles -- but the trio declined to transfer organizing authority.

Now it seems that the shit has hit the fan for R-68. Sources within the DNC protest movement say that assorted organizers are meeting today at an undisclosed location to discuss building a network outside of R-68. But things could get tricky when it comes time to divvy up the park event permits that Spagnuolo and company hold after winning them in a city-sponsored lottery. Will R-68 go quietly into the good night? Stay tuned.

So despite all the protestations of non-violence and the assertion of working together to achieve their radical left goals, they continue to face inequalities of power within their own movement.

Apparently the moonbats have their eyes on the prize--and it isn't fighting against imperialism, capitalism, or any other -ism. The prize is the coveted media spotlight, and the preeminence available to the group who asserts authority first. Spagnuolo and company have attempted to seize control for themselves, and it now appears that that tactic is beginning to backfire.

How exquisitely ironic. Radical socialists and anarchists facing internal turmoil because of power struggles.

Meanwhile, Drunkablog takes a look at modern convention financing and corporate sponsorships for the DNC:

Everything is for sale, and this summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver is no exception.

More than four dozen national corporations have signed up as sponsors of the convention - everyone from Allstate to Xerox. And almost all of them have the same thing in common: They either have business with the federal government or they lobby on pending issues.

And that prompts a myriad of questions.

Are the big companies simply being good corporate citizens? Or are they looking for access - maybe not to the presidential nominee, but to members of Congress and party officials who can help make sure their issues get heard?

The answer is simple, said former Denver City Councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt: "It's always about access."

"Here's the reality," Barnes- Gelt said, "and this comes from the experience of an old fundraiser: The first people you go to for money are people who have an interest in making sure you're in a decision-making position. And that's true whether you're the DNC, the president of the United States or the local city council person."

Seems that even Democrats aren't immune to having money in politics.

Shocker.

And conflict is arising between the city and the DNCC, over fundraising priorities:

The committee staging the Democratic National Convention is concerned that Denver's fundraising efforts have been hampered because local officials also are raising money for several cultural events that are expected to be part of the week-long event.

The host committee was about $5 million short of its March fundraising goal of $28 million, and is supposed to have about $40 million raised by June. Meanwhile, the city is planning and trying to raise additional money for several cultural events.

"Every host city can and should develop a plan to showcase its culture, diversity and attributes on the international stage that a political convention offers," the DNC Committee said in a prepared statement Friday. "Numerous host cities from conventions past have had tremendous success in this regard, and we think that's a good thing.

"But to ensure a successful convention for all parties, fulfilling the contractual obligations that brought this convention to Denver in the first place must remain the top priority.

"Given all the host committee and the city have to support during convention week, we would hope they would be very selective in limiting both the number and costs of any auxiliary events requiring their support."

The DNCC's concerns have raised some internal conflict.

"They should call me and talk to me about it," Mayor John Hickenlooper said. "I'm happy to sit down and explain to them that obviously we understand the importance of putting on a good convention.

Obviously! Can't have those Democratic delegates and the media thinking this is some sort of cow town . . .

Splitsville--Tent State Severs Ties With Recreate '68 Over "Violent Imagery" And "Heated Rhetoric"

**Update 2--this is getting personal:

Glen Spagnuola, an organizer with Re-create 68, described the split as a mutual one. Spagnuola said that his group had concerns over the images that the name Tent State seemed to convey, because it suggested Kent State, the university where four students were shot to death by National Guardsmen during a Vietnam War protest in 1970.

"There's been so much confusion over the last couple of months. People keep insinuating that we're going to be violent when we've been organizing for a nonviolent protest," he said. "We don't want the image of dead students on a lawn being associated with the positive message that we're putting forward."

Pease countered that Tent City's name has nothing to do with Kent State. It's so named because students taking part in the protest sleep in tents.

She called that fact that tent rhymes with Kent an "immature argument" and said it was not an issue that had come up between the two groups.

First, it's Glenn Spagnuolo. Second, who knew the bad blood between the groups would devolve into attacks--Spagnuolo calling Tent State "hypocritical," and Tent State firing back with charges of "immaturity."

Geez, can't we all just, you know, get along?

**Update--two weeks ago, Adam Jung of Tent State offered this defense of Recreate '68 and Glenn Spagnuolo, over charges from a Truther group about potential violence:

We work with Recreate 68, and we've attended most of the meetings, and I know for a fact nothing of this sort is being discussed. For one thing, our organization has a strict non-violence commitment.

Scroll for more . . .

"Tent State University, a national group represented locally by Adam Jung, says it is having trouble organizing support and bands to perform because of the violent imagery associated with R-68's name, and with recent heated rhetoric from R-68 organizer Glenn Spagnuolo, who has been the face of the local effort to date"--Denver Post

Recreate '68 doesn't play well with others on the left, and now a schism has formed:

A close ally with the local war protest group Re-create 68, which is organizing for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, is severing its ties, the group told R-68 today.

Tent State University, a national group represented locally by Adam Jung, says it is having trouble organizing support and bands to perform because of the violent imagery associated with R-68's name, and with recent heated rhetoric from R-68 organizer Glenn Spagnuolo, who has been the face of the local effort to date.

From the outset, Spagnuolo's group has attracted criticism because of its name, which suggests for many the violence outside the convention hall in Chicago in 1968.

"We don't feel that Re-create-68 is working well with the anti-war left," Jung said.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the national group CodePink, seconded concerns over R-68's message and image, saying she wanted to portray the anti-war message as positively as possible. But Benjamin didn't rule out working with R-68, as long as the group's message conformed with CodePink's.

Geez, Glenn. Couldn't hold it together until the convention?

Good lord, making Medea Benjamin sound like the sane one in the room is quite a feat.

It was, however, the fault of the darn conservatives--conservative liberals that is:

Spagnuolo, in anger weeks ago, said the city was creating "a very dangerous situation" because it had given a permit - in a blind lottery - to the committee hosting the convention for use of Civic Center park on the Sunday before the convention. He has since vowed the group would be peaceful.

"We feel like a more positive message would be more attractive to people and we prefer it to be a more positive message," Benjamin said. "We fully intend to work with all the groups, but we want our message to be more positive."

Spagnuolo said Jung's call today was "disappointing."

"This is typically what happens when you have these conservative liberal groups who come in and pressure the smaller groups with their resources," Spagnuolo said. "It's a shame. It's not going to stop us from what we're doing. We have upwards of 40 groups working with us."

When asked to elaborate about what he meant concerning the "conservative liberal groups" Spagnuolo said he would rather refrain from further comment and work to resolve any issues internally.

After reading a press release that Tent State issued Monday afternoon, Spagnuolo said he thought Jung's decision was "hypocritical," because the name "Tent State" conjures up images of college students who died at Kent State during protests of the Vietnam War.

"They really need to look in the mirror," Spaguolo said. "This is something we talked about for quite a while. ... We look at this as a mutual split."

So is Tent State "hypocritical" or is it a "mutual split?" Hmmm.

Not even two weeks ago, on this very blog, Jung publicly defended Spagnuolo and Recreate '68 from accusations of violence by Truther groups:

After reading the smear piece written by jonathan, I was of course
concerned. But upon reading the full text of the article, not only the parts some bloggers are using to create this picture, I saw this as the best example of fabled Cointelpro tactics I've personally seen.

We work with Recreate 68, and we've attended most of the meetings, and I know for a fact nothing of this sort is being discussed. For one thing, our organization has a strict non-violence commitment.

Other things that stood out: "Code Pink was not radical enough for them." What? Code Pink is part of Recreate 68. I also noticed the racist disdain the author held for immigrants and the anger over not having his conspiracy march allowed to displace the peaceful plans already organized.

Tent State University will continue to work with Recreate 68 and others and will rightfully ignore this obvious smear piece. I'd encourage others to do a little research themselves before jumping in with the likes of "jonathan."

Adam Jung,
Tent State University

Thoughts: either the move is strategic--overtly "severing" ties to better diffuse the scrutiny associated with the groups ahead of the convention (although this places Recreate '68 and its head honcho Spagnuolo on the hook should anything go down at the convention), or actually represents a conscious attempt to distance peaceful moonbat groups--the ridiculous but relatively harmless Code Pinkos--from the increasingly suspicious and potentially agitating groups like Recreate '68. Despite protestations of non-violence, it appears Spagnuolo's well-broadcast propaganda message isn't being well-received, even among his erstwhile allies on the extreme left.

Exit question--any other possibilities? Conflict of egos amongst the chief moonbats? Not enough exposure for non-Recreate '68 groups? Something in the patchouli?

Bonus video--Spagnuolo sat down with Politics West (Denver Post) and reiterated the group's "non-violent" intentions just this past weekend (May 2, 2008):