Day Two of DNC — protests mellow

Tuesday was a relatively mild day for protesters and police.
Again, there was a relatively small crowd gathered, compared to predictions, and the protesters who were there, seemed disjointed, at best.

There were a few people here and there supporting the same cause, but not one unified group of activists standing for the same principles.

Recreate ’68, who has been claiming to be the umbrella group that would unify the protesters at the DNC, had an information table with schedules of events and legal information, but little more.

Lisa Braxton, who was working Recreate ’68s information booth, defended the T-shirt that the group was selling. The shirt had the words “Defend Denver” printed above a silhouetted image of a machine gun. When asked if that was a symbol of violence, she claimed that it was merely a symbol of resistance — not necessarily violent resistance.
“This is a picture of a machine gun. It’s not a real machine gun. If you want to see real guns, there are lots of folks around here in uniforms carrying real guns. All you’ll see on us is a T-shirt,” Braxton said.

Across the park, a group of anarchists huddled in a circle asking photographers not to take their picture. However, as it was their right to be present on the public property, it is a photographer’s right to take photos on that same public property.

When one hobbyist photographer acted on that right, a small scuffle ensued between him and the group. Police were within 15 feet when it began and it was quickly de-escalated, after which the anarchists walked over to a different section of the park.

In the mid-afternoon, a group of about 50 gathered in front of television crews with banners and signs claiming that “911 was an inside job!” One protester read a lengthy poem about a government conspiracy to take down the twin towers. The protest was peaceful.

All in all, the second day was quite mellow.

—DRL
Photos by Dana Logan