"It's not necessary that I be there right now," Churchill said in an article published Tuesday in The Campus Press University of Colorado-Boulder. "If I were to show up and pull out a statement then it would be all about me, and I'm not the issue. Columbus Day is the issue."

Organizers of the Oct. 8 parade said it is meant to honor Christopher Columbus for his discovery of the New World, which protesters say started the genocide of indigenous people.

Churchill ignited a firestorm with an essay comparing some World Trade Center victims to Adolf Eichmann, one of the Nazis who orchestrated the Holocaust. He has refused to retract the statement but said he wishes he had phrased it differently.

After the university determined he couldn't be fired for his essay, an investigation was launched into allegations involving plagiarism, misuse of others' work and falsification and fabrication.

Last year's parade resulted in the arrest of about 240 people for disruption. Eight protest leaders including, Churchill, were acquitted in a January trial in Denver County Court. Charges against all remaining defendants were then dismissed.

Two new city ordinances will be in place for this year's parade that city officials said should result in more successful prosecutions for disrupting permitted events.

The parade resumed in Denver in 2000 after they were halted in 1991.

The American Indian Movement in Colorado has asked Denver's mayor to stop the parade, scheduled for this Saturday. The group has sent a letter to the mayor asking for a declaration to end the celebraton. They say money used for police overtime would be better spent on healthcare and education.

But that argument doesn't sit well with parade organizers.

"The money wouldn't have to be spent. It's not our fault they're down there protesting. The police protection is because of their violent protests," said parade committee president George Venegnia.

"We have never been violent. There are no accounts of violence on our part as protester," said Leslie Andrews, with the American Indian Movement.

Mayor John Hickenlooper said he's not about to tell one side or the other not to exercise their right to free speech. He said he's not taking sides and is willing to facilitate a constructive dialogue.

Opponents of the Columbus Day celebration say they will conduct an educational activity against the parade but wouldn't reveal exactly what that activity would be.

Previous Stories:

• September 29, 2005: Denver Mayor Seeks To End Fights Over Columbus Day Parade
• August 23, 2005: CU No Longer Looking Into Churchill's Ethnicity
• August 19, 2005: CU Delays Decision On Whether To Allow Churchill Sabbatical
• May 27, 2005: Churchill Denied Teaching Award
• May 24, 2005: Churchill To Meet With CU Representatives
• May 16, 2005: Churchill Faces Deadline To Respond To Plagiarism Charges
• March 30, 2005: Faculty Reviews Churchill By First Examining Themselves
• March 24, 2005: CU: Churchill's Essay Protected But Alleged Plagiarism Needs Further Review
• March 23, 2005: Regents Meet To Discuss Churchill, Hoffman Replacement
• March 14, 2005: Most CU Regents Oppose Any Buyout For Churchill
• March 11, 2005: Churchill Buyout Stalled?
• March 8, 2005: CU: Review Of Churchill Expected To Take Longer
• March 4, 2005: CU President: 'Dangerous Times' For Academic Freedom
• March 1, 2005: Churchill: Artwork Issue Utterly Contrived
• February 26, 2005: Report: CU May Offer Churchill Early Retirement
• February 10, 2005: Churchill Speech At Wisconsin University Given Green Light
• February 9, 2005: Churchill: I'm Not Backing Up One Inch
• February 8, 2005: CU Professor's Speech Goes On, As Scheduled
• February 8, 2005: Controversial CU Professor's Boulder Speech Canceled
• February 5, 2005: CU Professor Refuses To Apologize For 9/11 Essay
• February 3, 2005: Protesters Arrested As CU Regents Meet About Professor
• February 1, 2005: CU Prof's Appearance In New York Canceled
• February 1, 2005: Gov. Owens Letter Calls For Churchill To Step Down
• February 1, 2005: Controversial CU Prof Resigns As Department Chair
• January 28, 2005: School Won't Cancel CU Prof's Controversial Appearance
• January 28, 2005: CU Distances Itself From Prof.'s Controversial 9/11 Remarks
• January 27, 2005: CU Professor Who Suggested 9/11 Attacks Were Justified Stirs Protest
• January 20, 2005: Columbus Day Protesters Found Not Guilty
• October 8, 2001: Police Outnumber Columbus Day Parade Marchers
• October 6, 2001: An Estimated 1,500 People Attend Anti-Columbus Day Rally
• September 18, 2001: Denver Columbus Day Parade Scrapped To Avoid Conflict
• June 13, 2001: Italian-Americans Camp Out For Parade Permit