Denver Police Reported to Surround DNC Activist Convergence Center

In the last hour, according to indy media reports, the Denver Police have apparently surrounded the Convergence Center, an open gathering place a small distance outside downtown Denver, for those taking part in DNC activities, generally activists and alternative media. The police were said to have done so pending a search warrant, and they are also reported to have arrested two or three individuals and confiscated banner-making supplies and personal items.

On-the-spot reporting by Indymedia reporters began with "Convergence Center about to be raided" with updates and arrest reports following.

Behind the reports of large-scale protests and troublemakers in the mainstream media, independent and alternative media often reports many smaller police actions, sometimes with an air of conspiracy. Indymedia groups often operate in what seems like a secretive or even combative manner, but their role as watchdog and public conscience places them at considerable risk at times, and they have gained the support of the ACLU and People's Law Project and other groups to ensure they have legal resources in case problems do arise.

Indymedia also has reported confiscation of police observer video equipment in Minneapolis in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, and other arrests such as one of a "Code Pink" activist in Denver during the DNC week which are of concern. While there may be several "angles" on a story, the most important benefit of Indymedia reports is that the story is being told, and actions are being questioned publicly.

In general, during the DNC, activities of protesters, alternative media and others are dispersed around the city. The Convergence Center is one of the few locations where many such groups gather. The rules for the location include no activated recording devices, as opinions are shared and ideas exchanged freely. In addition, however, it may be a location for planning events, and as such may be extremely tempting to police and others who wish to be more informed about upcoming protest activity.

Much of the activity downtown, with a few notable exceptions, appears to the casual observer as a facing down and dispersing activity. After the concern over the city's lack of real cooperation with protesters and the filing of lawsuits by the ACLU, the discovery by CBS4 news of the undisclosed "Gitmo on the Platte" detention center, and the inability of the Mayor to make good on his promises that protesters near the Pepsi Center would be within (again, "real") "sight and sound" distance of the delegates, people have relaxed as the week unfolded relatively uneventfully.

It may be that the success of the week has been in the public's eye, as smaller arrests and raids, however they are justified, are conducted with minimal publicity. Police restraint is critical, as many have seen, because while there are some who have joined protests for the energy and conflict, there are many passionate individuals and groups in Denver this week expressing themselves in many ways. The DNC is rare opportunity for many to find a voice and an audience, and the desire to make sure that opportunity is not lost can be very strong.

In fact, according to many involved with Recreate 68 and other groups, the DNC has galvanized many groups into major action when previously they mostly met for discussions and local activities. The November 2008 election is seen as a watershed time, a "do or die" chance to change what many see as desperate times in society, from global warming to the loss of many rights. The DNC may seem fairly quiet, but in retrospect history may find that many activists' passions were reignited here, and a new generation of activists has joined the veterans, both of Chicago and Vietnam, of 1968. While the Obama nomination may be a milestone in mainstream politics, Denver 2008 may be the same for those whose politics and power is once again in their own hands.

"Convergence Center Being Raided by Denver Police," acumensch, http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1042