DENVER- Glenn Spagnuolo of RECREATE-68 held his own against Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown at a symposium held today at the University of Denver about the upcoming DNC in August. Asked whether providing instruction for the use of shields truly constitutes advocating non-violent protest, Spagnuolo told of the permanent injuries which Police inflicted at previous demonstrations like the FTAA, and he described Denver’s newly requisitioned equipment such as shotguns which fire long distance tasers (XREP) and ear-piercing weapons systems (LRAD). Councilman Brown stressed the importance of protecting the upcoming DNC, its delegates, its protestors, the people of Denver, and the reputation of Denver, from the threat of terrorism.
The City of Denver refuses to release its security plan, to preempt a timely legal challenge. According to Spagnuolo, the city is considering a mile wide perimeter around Pepsi Stadium. Spagnuolo also clarified that Recreate-68 is not calling for repeating the violence of the 1968 Chicago convention, but instead hopes to re-activate the public to the level of engagement it exhibited in 1968, when the same Democratic Party refused to heed the will of the people to stop funding the illegal war in Vietnam. As history repeats itself forty years later, the anti-war movement has yet to summon the courage of the American people.
A couple of Recreate-68 innovations: Doc’s Place, a 24-hour people’s health clinic, to provide free conventional and alternative medical care for all for the duration of the DNC, “to deliver the promise no candidate has: Healthcare for all.” AS WELL, Recreate-68 is planning large FOOD NOT BOMBS events, to feed the homeless of Denver, to counter the efforts of the city to sweep its streets of the homeless in advance of the convention.
There did appear to be a conflict about how best to secure Denver’s image with the eyes of the world upon it.
Glenn Spagnuolo comes to Recreate-68 with experience leading to arrest and acquittal in demonstrations in 2005 and 2007 against the Columbus Day parade. He’s worked with the South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, ACT-UP, and against the FTAA in Florida.
Most recently, Denver held a lottery to allocate the choice protest venues for the duration of the DNC. Recreate-68 received some locations and time slots, but lost the prime spot and prime time to another candidate: the Democratic Party! Oddly, although the Democrats are going to be center-stage at the convention hall, they applied, and won, the right to occupy the main protest stage adjacent the Pepsi Center on the first evening of the convention.
Bill Durtand of the J$P and ACLU has a letter in the online Indy edition begging that we not ‘recreate ’68’. http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A24433
I just had a conversation with him recently, where he told me that the Democrats and Republicans were as different as night and day. Gosh I wish I had a dollar for every liberal that has told me that through the years! They just don’t ever seem to get it!
The Democrats and Republicans are like a corporate see-saw, and the Democrats see the top of the swing as being totally different than the bottom. The liberals are so damn simple. Can’t they see the connection? Apparently not.
These two corporate funded parties cooperate on everything. They are not polar opposites, but rather separate parts of the same system. We need a new system, not a swing of the old one once again.
Bill Durland, you have a good heart, but you are a liberal Democrat who will never really advocate any fundamental change. Until we can break with both parties, we will continue to have continual wars. It’s as simple as that.
Your Democrats are no more disassociated from the war machine than the Republicans are. That should be simple as hell to see by now, but so many like you, Bill, cannot see the obvious. It is time for Americans to open their eyes and do something different for a change. It is time to advocate for a fundamental change of the System, and not just a swing of the old see-saw once again.