Convention security: necessary precaution or police state?

Perhaps most troubling has been the involvement of government security agencies in trying to repress those protesting and reporting on the corruption. During a walk through downtown at lunch today, the police were (as they have been all week) patrolling the street in full riot gear.

While I understand the need for security at events like this, the visual expression of force - the billy clubs, armor, helmets, and military-style patrols - are clearly designed to intimidate anyone from raising any kind of uncomfortable questions in any kind of public way. And that intimidation includes jailing reporters.

ABC News reports that just yesterday, "Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel." ABC caught the whole thing on tape - and it perfectly captures the obscene use of Denver's municipal government to trample the First Amendment and cover-up brazen corruption.

Denver's municipal government has, in effect, used the need for enhanced security as a rationalization to declare a kind of martial law over the whole city - a martial law enforced by taxpayer-funded security forces whose mission is to serve the public, yet which has too often been deployed this week to crush the public and serve the private Big Money interests that still run the Democratic Party.

As a Denver taxpayer and voter, I am frankly embarrassed for my city, and for its political leaders. Nearly everyone I have talked to in my reporting during this convention has told me how disgusted they are at the city's authoritarian response to what is supposed to be a celebration of democracy.

Between the scene at dinner last night and the constant sound of marching boots that continue to thrum through the Denver police state this week, I opted to bail out on Invesco and head home to my quiet residential neighborhood, where I'm confident that the event telecast will - as it always does - filter out all the real-life ugliness and substantive issues that this election and this convention is supposed to be about. Maybe that's a cop out - like dropping some Soma in a Brave New World.

But then, at least for the final night, I'd rather remember this event for its truly valuable moments that brought together organizers and progressive movement builders, than for its moments that show the ugliest impulses of money, incumbency, and authoritarianism that still eat away at the Democratic Party.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/convention-dispatch-dinne_b_122263...

Category:

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• national
• convention
• security
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• Colorado
• 1968
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• riot
• police

[Stewart8668]

maybe they should have had a better city planner........

Canada anyone?

[pigsinspace123]

someone should axplaine to all niggers this is the future not a rap vidio...dont shoot each other.yhe mexicans will kill all blacks if osama wins.

[garysephel]

Security for who, not for peaceful protesters. Richard Daily was & still is a classic piece of shit, and all of those cops should of been prosecuted for violating basic civil rights. Someone please wipe the permanent smile off of that excuse for an anchor talking head puppet's face.

[Himechansexytightass]

If it is this bad for the DNC when they are promising change, someone will get killed during McCain's nomination.

[ngarey]

heh just wait until the RNC