DNC Protesters Arrested, Pepper-Sprayed
ABC News’ Raelyn Johnson Reports: While Sen. Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama were the stars in Denver Monday evening, several hundred protesters gathered in downtown Denver seeking a spotlight of their own.
Gathered at the intersection of Cleveland Place and 15th street, self described anarchists vocalized their opinions on an array of issues, from the Iraq war, to the heavy police presence in the city.
A small riot broke out near the civic center, forcing police to pepper spray and arrest some participants.
“The people united, will never be defeated,” protestors sang to a choir of several hundred officers, equipped for riot control.
“I’m protesting for peace,” said one woman, who was offended by the strong showing of force by authorities.
Two bus loads of people were taken into custody.
Authorities were on heightened alert when it reported that there was a potential assassination plot.
Aurora police thwarted the plot during a traffic stop, arresting two men in possession of weapons and methamphetamines. Police later stated that there was no credible threat to Sen. Barack Obama, or the residents and visitors of Denver, Colorado.
Email
Santorum: Money Will Not Defeat Obama, Ideas Will
Rick Santorum's Full Speech at CPAC 2012
More of Obama’s radicals?
Posted by: Lin | August 26, 2008, 1:13 am 1:13 am
This isn’t as newsworth as what I just heard on TV…men arrested that were planning assination of BO. Amo, rifles, the whole bit, arrested in a hotel room in Denver.
CNN and my local news have covered this in the last 1/2 hour.
Posted by: Debra | August 26, 2008, 1:16 am 1:16 am
We can’t afford to take a chance on Obama and the fringe left. These are his core, pathethic!
We need McCain. Integrety, experience, leadership.
Posted by: reason we can believe in | August 26, 2008, 1:31 am 1:31 am
Put the trust fund babies in jail-for a long time.
Posted by: Sluggo | August 26, 2008, 1:41 am 1:41 am
More lunatic gun-toting racist KKK freakazoid conservative Republicans. As if they didn’t do enough at OKC.
Impeach Bush. Deport O’Reilly
Posted by: alfred | August 26, 2008, 1:52 am 1:52 am
I’m sure these people were main street Americans-HA.
Posted by: Sluggo | August 26, 2008, 2:15 am 2:15 am
sluggo your a moron
Posted by: sefes | August 26, 2008, 2:43 am 2:43 am
We need McCain. Integrety, experience, leadership…….
””””””’Ya Right like we Need
the Planners of 9/11 to revisit the
United States…….Bush and his Clone
have a real Problem taking the real war
to the REAL Problem! .. its strange very strange!
Posted by: Anita Yova | August 26, 2008, 3:28 am 3:28 am
Obama has had some crazies as friends in his life. radicals, terroits. He should be safe with those people.
Posted by: seah | August 26, 2008, 3:32 am 3:32 am
Bob: Who is the “we?”
The Republicans will destroy 0bama with advertising. They don’t need to sully their hands with amateurs. Gee. You’re rather a boob, am I right?
Posted by: beebop | August 26, 2008, 6:59 am 6:59 am
George Bush ran on the promise of bringing back, “honor and integrity” to the White House.
But then, Bush even gives all Republicans a bad name.
Posted by: DAVID NH | August 26, 2008, 7:46 am 7:46 am
mccain leadership—–5.5 years as the crown prince of the hanoi doesent qualify mccain for anything —-maybe a bellhop—he stayed there by choice as it was safer .
Posted by: rodney | August 26, 2008, 7:55 am 7:55 am
trish
that i can believe–the guy is a freak and a crimina l who may pay the price when bush is gone.
Posted by: rodney | August 26, 2008, 7:58 am 7:58 am
Interesting diction, Ms. Johnson. Your phrase “small riot broke out” links to a video clip of a few people speaking their minds in the street to an army of riot police. Hardly a “riot”, is it? Of course, a real “riot” would “force” police to pepper-spray and arrest to “restore order” and protect “public safety”, right?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Posted by: Paine | August 26, 2008, 8:04 am 8:04 am
trish
wait untill the attacks start on mccain as there are a lot of us out here who know him for many years—-especially from the sixties–as you have noticed the hero crap has all but stopped—now mccain is the pow—-all about him will be known and it will be the truth—if he showed his true personality it would be the end of him.
Posted by: rodney | August 26, 2008, 8:13 am 8:13 am
i think that they are afraid that after obama wins the electon —they will be mandated to wear colored sheets—-give rove a pink one.
Posted by: rodney | August 26, 2008, 8:22 am 8:22 am
More likely than not these “anarchists” were agent provocateurs of the government (i.e. government agents) seeking to incite a riot to be used as justification for heavy handed tactics against peaceful protesters. Frequently used page in the government playbook. No surprises. Do you honestly think they would build a secret prison if they didn’t intend to use it?
Posted by: Joe | August 26, 2008, 8:32 am 8:32 am
Are they still cleaning up the dribble from Kennedys mouth? all I saw were drunks at the convention Matt Drudge reporting drunks were warned 3 times by DNC… Any plans to bring the Terrorist Ayers on to stage?
Posted by: Hilly-Billy | August 26, 2008, 8:54 am 8:54 am
What does Obama have to do with people rioting in the streets over BUSH’S AND MCCAINS policies??
Posted by: beck | August 26, 2008, 9:00 am 9:00 am
What’s wrong with the media and Americans? We can’t hide behind the bus carrying Obama’s associations.
Where is Reverend Wright? Where’s Jessie Jackson? Where is Sharpton?
Did all of us ignore the fact that Obama mentored with an anti American, radical, racist: Reverend Wright.
What about Ayers, Rezko, Farrakhan and Father Pflaeger?
This is an introduction to a President?
Could you just imagine if McCain was friends and mentored with the KKK?
Wake up America.
Where is the reporting?
Obama’s past associations is an introduction and a clear picture of Obama’s character.
Posted by: Al from NJ | August 26, 2008, 9:02 am 9:02 am
Al from NJ: Maybe you should do your homework on McCains and Clintons friends before you start throwing stones. Your making yourself look bad.
Posted by: beck | August 26, 2008, 9:06 am 9:06 am
Jamie Allman on 97.1 FM on St. Louis, MO is at the convention in Denver. He reported this morning that, although the television cameras did not show it, there were delegates walking out during Michelle Obama’s speech last night, while others sat with their arms crossed and refused to clap when the rest of the audience. He said the tension is “palpable” between the Hillary and Obama supporters. He followed one of the female delegates who walked out during Michelle’s speech, and she agreed to talk to him. I don’t know if it was on the record or not – he did not identify her by name. She said that it was not only Republicans who were insulted by Michelle Obama’s statements about not being proud of her country. Many Democrats were insulted, too. She said that in her opinion, the Democratic Party was not united, and she didn’t expect it to be.
Posted by: JB in St. Louis | August 26, 2008, 9:17 am 9:17 am
Sure, JB – You wish. You guys plant malcontents everywhere hoping to disrupt any clarity or unity that exists within the Democratic Party. Keep hoping Americans fall for it. That’s all you can do. You are corrupt and indecent. America is for all people, not just the those of you who support big business, white supremicists, or ultra-right religious zealots.
Posted by: geecee | August 26, 2008, 9:41 am 9:41 am
Damn gotta love the RW nutzoids coming out of the woodwork here already. Mclame supporters showing up pretending to be “anarchists” hell half of these limbaugh wannebees probably can’t even spell anarchist. Is this still part of limbaughs project chaos?
Posted by: Bob Lee's Mommie | August 26, 2008, 9:52 am 9:52 am
The convention last night reminded me of the first Thanksgiving after my brother got married. He and his bimbo wife tried real hard to present the happy little marriage. After that the little woman never seemed to be around, or answer the phone when I called. Finally I asked my brother – did you kill her and bury her in the back yard? He laughed, and said she left him – three months earlier!!! I asked him: why the hell did you pretend the marriage was working when it was obvious that it wasn’t? His answer: “I just didn’t want to admit I made a mistake. I was trying to figure out how to tell the family.” When I watched the convention last night, I had the same feeling I had that Thanksgiving. This nomination is a train wreck in the making . …
Posted by: JB in St. Louis | August 26, 2008, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Obama wants to revive Camelot! Perhaps he should think that through a little more carefully! The ending wasn’t exactly a fairytale one!
Posted by: La Chatte, Portland, OR | August 26, 2008, 10:15 am 10:15 am
I’m just glad Michelle didn’t tell the audience their souls were broken, and all they had to do to fix their broken souls was vote for her husband. That’s the kind of crap she used to say – until they gave her a make-over and told her to keep her fat mouth shut unless she had a script in front of her. She’s so much nicer now. Handlers and ad men can perform miracles, can’t they? They’ve turned two members of a radical, white-hating, America-hating church into Ozzie and Harriet, and the white-guilt liberals are eating it up like gravy over mashed potatoes. It’s a good thing not all Democrats are liberals, or suffer from white guilt syndrome.
Posted by: JB in St. Louis | August 26, 2008, 10:23 am 10:23 am
Reason: “We can’t afford to take a chance on Obama and the fringe left. These are his core, pathethic! We need McCain. Integrety, experience, leadership.”
Um, no, these people were protesting the DNC, in case you missed that part.
And as for your comments about McCain, sorry, but he’s sacrificed his integrity.
He says Obama would rather lose a war, but also says that isn’t an attack on Obama’s patriotism. And he further calls Obama an honorable opponent.
There is no way to square these comments. The first is an accusation of treason, and there’s no other way to reasonably view it.
And maybe to McCain, treason is honorable, but not to the rest of us – though I should point out that only a fringe element would believe Obama is treasonous in the first place.
Posted by: Paul | August 26, 2008, 10:24 am 10:24 am
MCBUSH”s America is the same old ‘Nazi Oriented’..Good Ol’ Boy..Keep the White House White..kind of sickness that has infected the planet to the degree of destruction we now face. The rest of the world knows the ‘true face of America and it’s only fifty and one-half percent that still cling to their die-hard, corruption oriented, fetishes. The ‘real America’ is tired of being lulled to sleep with ‘good ol boy’ bedtime nightmares. No wonder Russia looks at the White House and laughs, as well as China, almost all of Europe, and a majority of the rest of the world. They feel there are no rules anymore and the United Nations is a joke, since the ‘Drugstore Cowboy’ rode his ‘stickhorse’ into Washington eight years ago. Experience?? What experience did the bartender offer Bush???
Posted by: Bravo Encore | August 26, 2008, 10:42 am 10:42 am
Here’s the thing about experience. How much does it matter?
Make a list of the five presidents you consider the all-time best and the all-time worst. Then look at their comparative experience before taking office. Chances are good you’ll either not see a lot of difference, or perhaps even see less experience in the ‘worst’ category.
Posted by: Paul | August 26, 2008, 10:51 am 10:51 am
What I’ve been able to gather is that this is another ploy by Obama’s people to get the pity me vote. The DEMs are staging events for people who can’t think for themselves.
Posted by: wayne | August 26, 2008, 11:11 am 11:11 am
I hope the City of Denver loses many millions of dollars in lawsuits forviolating the Constitutional rights of protesters.
Posted by: Thomas Mc | August 26, 2008, 11:36 am 11:36 am
rodney…Two words…SEEK HELP!!!!!
Posted by: CuriousIndep | August 26, 2008, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
I have pulled up every blog and new media print trying to find out what the protesters where protesting. I keep seeing the war..and right to life…but whats the specifics? What groups were represented at the protests?
Posted by: Blue | August 26, 2008, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
Look, all I know is Dems need to get out there and VOTE THIS TIME!!!! I know a few republicans who haven’t voted in a long time and they are actually going to this year. You know what that means? They are running scared so get out there and vote!!
Posted by: Mel | August 26, 2008, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm
I’m always amused when these so called “anarchists” come out of nowhere and say things like “People Unite!”
Well then you aren’t an anarchist, *are* you.
This has nothing to do with republicans or democrats or even libertarians. It’s all about a bunch of spoiled rotten rich kids smoking weed, banging on drums, and using their parents’ money to fund their “political activism”. You wanna help – build a house for a poor family. It’s not glamorous, it won’t get you on TV (or tear-gassed) – but it’ll be far more helpful than acting like idiots.
“I’m protesting for peace! That’s why I’m trashing this Starbucks!!” yah!
Posted by: Hah | August 26, 2008, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
So nice to see the constitution and our right to free speech is being upheld. See attached URL for a much better story. Police officer batons girl to the ground and the same police officer then takes her away when she talks to the media, whilst his colleague close ranks. It would be nice to see Sen Obama reversing this sort of decay of policing.
Posted by: Pablo | August 26, 2008, 7:35 pm 7:35 pm
Just know people that what happened in the middle east was that the religious right wing took over and now youhave to live by religious law. If the R>R> gets their way here we all will be living by their religious laws. No books on evolution no gay rights no women rights.
Posted by: jj | August 27, 2008, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm