'War on Terror'    anti-war actions   -Denver

Police eventually arrived at the scene, and sent their own climbers up, even as the activists pulled up the banner and descended. Ginger Cassidy, Harrison Fox, Jeff Friesen, Amy Johnson and Yuri Koslen were arrested as they descended a few hours later, and supporter Jaime Bochnight was arrested on the ground. They were held in jail overnight on felony criminal mischief charges. Released on their own recognizance, they returned for arraignment October 5, where charges were reduced to misdemeanor trespass. Pre-trial hearing was set for November 9 in Denver Municipal Court.

For more information, contact La Mitzvah at www.wagepeacenow.com, or Nell Geiser at (720)839-3745.

Metropolitan police forces across the United States are engaged in provocative tactics and trumped-up charges to quell peaceful street protests against the United State's fraudulent "war on terrorism." Police have arrested demonstrators in several cities while forcing sizable marches out of the street and onto the sidewalks, then pushing through crowds to seize perceived leaders and masked participants.

Yet across the Atlantic, some Scottish magistrates are dismissing "breach of the peace" charges and affirming that "protests on a public highway must also be viewed as part of the right to peaceful assembly." (see Trident Ploughshares article)

Over a thousand people rallied for peace on September 29 in City Park in Denver. Most departed from the rally for a two-mile march to the downtown Civic Center. The unpermitted march mostly stayed to the sidewalk along busy Colfax Avenue, while some marchers took to the curb lane. Police formed a barricade to direct the march back to the sidewalk, and then moved purposefully and forcefully into the crowd, targeting and detaining people wearing black and masks for arrest. A few blocks later, police regrouped and again pushed into the march, reining in more of the masked or black-clad participants.

Police told several people they had orders to ID everyone covering their face and dressed in black, and to arrest those with no ID. "When we see people in a crowd who are trying to conceal their identification, or who are acting in a manner contrary to the way the rest of the crowd is acting, we have a right and responsibility to stop them," a police spokesperson stated later.

In the end, six adults and three minors who challenged their arrest were jailed for interfering with police. The adults were all released by the following morning, but the minors were held over the weekend and released after two nights in jail and a hearing on Monday. At least two others were arrested but released without being cited. One man faces additional charges for a knife, hammer, and slingshot found when he was searched, and another man was arrested a block from the jail as he arrived with bail money for the others and police alleged his taped sign handle was a weapon.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offered to defend those arrested. "We certainly disagree with the police view that they have a right to detain anyone who participates in a protest march with a covered face," ACLU legal director Mark Silverstein told the Denver Post.

The adults have a pretrial hearing November 19, and the juveniles face a hearing (no trial) December 6.

For more information, contact the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, 901 W. 14th Ave. Suite 7, Denver, CO 80204, (702)956-0700, www.ccmep.org.