Legal News Headlines

 
Copyright 2008 Denver Publishing Company

 May 3, 2008 Saturday
Final Edition

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 22NEWS

LENGTH: 285 words

BYLINE: Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News

BODY: 

The ACLU of Colorado filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Secret Service and the city of Denver to ensure protesters can march and demonstrate within sight and hearing of delegates at the Democratic National Convention this August.

According to court documents and protest organizers, the city says it's been waiting on the Secret Service to disclose the security boundaries before it can act.

Protesters said the delay is hampering their planning efforts.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office disputed the assertions in the lawsuit.

"As we've promised all along, we will establish a parade route that will end within sight and sound of the convention," said Sue Cobb, the mayor's communications director. "There's a lot to take into account in planning that route, including coordination with safety and security planning and implications for transportation. "

In a statement, Denver City Attorney David Fine said no one has been denied a parade permit.

"No one has been denied the right to protest," Fine said. "In fact, you will see a vigorous exercise of free speech during the convention - in many ways and in many places."

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of a dozen national and state organizations, including Escuela Tlatelolco and the Recreate 68 Alliance.

Glenn Spagnuolo, a Recreate 68 organizer, said he is suspicious of the city and its motives.

"The city has employed a tactic that we like to call the 'scare them and un-prepare them' tactic, which is scare them that the protests are going to be violent, even though we've committed to nonviolence, and then make sure that we delay the process of giving permits out for the marches so they're unprepared," he said.

NOTES: chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099 ACLU

LOAD-DATE: May 5, 2008