Police Put an End to Occupy Denver

DENVER -- Last Week cops and state police here were ordered into Lincoln Park by Mayor Michael Hancock and Gov. John Hickenlooper to disperse hundreds of Occupy Denver protesters who where using the park for 24-hour demonstrations.

Riot police, dressed in shiny new black helmets and pads with matching pepper spray holsters and brandishing riot batons, marched inline like Spartan soldiers kicking over tents and moving the ocean of humanity before them with clouds of tear gas and thrusts of their batons.

Several dozen protesters were arrested, the camp was broken up and free speech and peaceful civil disobedience was denied; vanishing into clouds of chemical spray and violent swings of the club. The protesters yelled ashamed at the police as they were forced out of the park.

The corporate owned Denver Post once again siding with the institutions of government and big business, published an editorial calling on police to, "do their jobs," and that the, "Occupy Denver folks have been given many warnings and frankly too much leeway.''

It is unfortunate that the state's standard bearer for the First Amendment while admitting that free speech is, "not limited to the words that come out of someone's mouth or pen. They extend to marches, passing out leaflets and picketing," is also calling for the violent suppression of free speech by the city's notoriously violent police force.

I'm sure the political and corporate leaders whose corruption and hypocrisy is reflected back at them by the Occupy Denver protesters would like nothing more than to have the exercise of free speech limited to one's own living room or to specific hours of the day and only certain locations - Colorado law and city ordinances are set up for just such limits - how easy it would be then for those needing the message to avoid or ignore the message.

The point of protest and civil disobedience is that it cannot, will not, be ignored. Like a democracy it is uncomfortable and turbulent requiring active participation, peaceful confrontation and debate. Something that must be faced by the status quo until acknowledged and action taken. It is unfortunate that The Post, part of a tradition started by Franklin, is advocating the muzzling of the masses.

The government, corporate media, and political parties argue that they are ready to listen to the Occupy movement, but that the movement doesn't have a unified grievance or message yes it does, it is just that the knifing message calls for a drastic change in the influence and power structure of the city, state, and nation. This is a message they don't want to hear - better to call out the storm troopers, hide behind municipal camping codes and sanitation laws. The First Amendment is not only dead it is six-feet under.