Tent City mulls camping options
8/5/2008 - 7:06amA leader of a group that had hoped to camp thousands of protesters in City Park during the Democratic National Convention said he hopes to announce a possible alternative on Wednesday, reports Chris Osher.
Tent State University organizer Adam Jung said the group remained disillusioned over how city officials have handled the camping suggestions.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and other officials have said they will stick to the city's ban against camping in the park.
Tent State has a conditional use permit to use the park during the convention, but Hickenlooper and other officials have said protesters must leave the park at 11 p.m. Tent State still must submit detailed plans to city officials on Friday for final approval of its proposals for the park.
Jung said the group now is coming up with alternatives that could alleviate the camping controversy, but he declined to give specifics.
"We're doing this on our own," he said. "The city certainly isn't helping us."
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Learn from the past.
I've been peacefully protesting outside most of the Political Conventions of the past 36 years. Hint to Denver: People end up somewhere. Less headaches for you camped in a park.
We had camping arrangements with City officials, either via formal permit or handshake, for both conventions in 1976, 1980, 1984, and again for Chicago's Lincoln Park in 1996, with no significant problems. Keeping people ujp all night leads to bad attitudes. If you want to avoid confrontation, keep everyone smiling.
Hint to Post reporters: call former Kansas City Police Chief Joe McNamara who managed the 1976 Republican Convention for his thoughts on the best way to manage . No property damage, minimal arrests, no expensive Civil Rights suits afterwards. He's now at the Hoover Institute.