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Convention Protestors May Sue Denver
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POSTED: 6:03 pm MDT November 1,
2007
UPDATED: 6:34 pm MDT November 1,
2007
DENVER -- Protesters coming to Denver for the Democratic National Convention still don't know where they can gather and they are considering legal action.The Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition applied for parking permits Thursday morning but was turned away.Nov. 1 is typically the first day permits are issued for the following year, but Denver city officials said they are not ready to hand out the passes. Permits for Denver's 14 parks have been denied for the days surrounding the convention.
Mahoney called upon Denver officials to “not be bullied by the Secret Service.”Mahoney fears that security concerns are threatening the public’s right to protest.The city of Denver and the Secret Service are determined to prevent a repeat of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago when hundreds of Vietnam War protesters clashed with police. A group called “Recreate 68” is urging people to come to Denver to oppose the Iraq war and voice their other concerns. Parks and Recreation officials said they need more time to come up with a plan.Jill McGranahan told 7NEWS,” I don’t think it’s a matter of being bullied by one agency or another. What we are trying to do is create a plan that is fair and equitable to everyone.At the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston, protesters were kept off the streets and confined to a fenced-off free speech zone.Mahoney said his group won’t go along with a similar plan."If that means hauling clergymen who are praying to jail along with youth and grandmothers, so be it. I don’t think the mayor wants that," he said.
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