DENVER, Colo. -- Carlo Garcia, 22, said he still doesn't have a backpack for his books.

Garcia joined the group Recreate 68 during their protests of the Democratic National Convention.

He said the bag he was wearing was cut from his back with a knife by officers during his arrest.

The University of Colorado at Boulder senior said he was "choked, slammed, and his face put in the dirt" after he was protesting another protester's setup in Civic Center Park.

Garcia said Recreate 68 secured the permit months ago and the Rev. Fred Phelps had not.

"I didn't call (the officer) any names. I turned to him and said Recreate 68 had the permit. You can hear me saying it. Before you know it, the cop is grabbing me up," said Garcia.

Protesters said they want their charges dropped and said they will sue the city for civil rights violations.

Garcia and several other protesters' arrests were caught on tape.

Rocky Mountain News photographer George Kochaniec Jr. filmed Garcia and Code Pink protester Alicia Forrest's arrests.

Local attorney, David Lane, said it will help their cases.

"Given what I have seen, we have video to back up every claim of constitutional rights violations," said Lane.

Lane said he anticipates most of the cases will be dropped. Once the cases are dropped he said many of the protesters will file cases against individual officers.

"You're allowed to be critical of police, you're allowed to say things to the police, you're allowed to protest in a free country. If an individual officer can't stomach it then they they don't need to be considered a police officer," said Lane.

The Denver police department and district attorney's offices would not comment on the developments. They all said the cases were still part of an ongoing investigation.

The mayor's office issued this statement after our story aired Tuesday at 5 p.m.

“We are incredibly proud of the entire Denver community for hosting an amazingly successful Democratic National Convention. From citizens to city employees, local law enforcement to federal agents, the unprecedented hard work and cooperation resulted in international accolades for our city. We have heard from demonstrators who praised the free speech opportunities available during the Convention and the professionalism of our police officers.

"The City of Denver remains committed to free speech and holds the civil liberties of our citizens in the highest esteem. Any incidents to the contrary brought to our attention will be investigated fully. Our police officers’ ability to effectively diffuse heated situations, and the peaceful, law-abiding nature of most of the demonstrators is evidenced by the relatively few arrests in Denver during this historic event.”