DNC Report #4

More wandering hither and yon …

1. On the train ride into the office, there were a quartet of conventioneers on the platform and in my car, toting “UNITY” and “OBAMA” and “MICHELLE” signs. They looked tired — though, to be fair, it was 5 a.m.
2. After a bite to eat at lunch, headed back toward the Convention Center. Crowds seemed bigger than ever. Wonder how many delegates are only here for the roll call.
3. Up on the NW side of the CC, around the giant white dancers, there’s a little side show of alternative energy technology vendors. Seriously off the beaten path, and not getting nearly the crowds they should.
4. Yes, I finally bought a t-shirt, which is the last thing I needed. But I liked the design, and the vendor/artist was nice. I can wear it on Election Day. And the Inaugural.
5. Headed down to Civic Center Park. Rumor had it that, due to problems last evening, they had chain-linked off the park to close it. Mmmmmm, not quite. The chain link fencing did go up around most of the park structures, but it seems to be tied to the “Taste of Colorado” event this weekend (that was the word from the staff there, and they did seem to be setting up tents and stages and generators). Civic Park was mostly empty.
6. There were some police horses and tenders under some trees. It was interesting to see the riot patrol tack on them — visors and leg guards, mostly.
7. Heading back toward the office, I noticed that Things Were Backed Up on the Mall, so I moseyed along. There were the horse troops again — the same ones? Upon closer inspection, these guys were from Laramie (Wyoming, one assumes). Many of the cops I saw were from City of Aurora. Didn’t specifically spot (though I didn’t search exhaustively) any Denver PD — are they working night shift, or doing some specific function.
   Anyway, headed along. Various cops on bikes, cops in cars, cops on foot, cops on horseback, and cops on SUVs of Doom were backed up along the Mall. There was a protest going on in front of the Paramount Cafe. Mostly appeared to be anti-Israel (or pro-Palestinian, or anti-US-policy-on-Israel, or something) protesters, though there were a smattering of other signs in attendance. The cops got them moving along slowly, and the entire parade (protesters, cops, and throngs of onlookers outnumbering both and taking pictures, ahem) crawled down the Mall.
8. I ducked away and headed back to the office.

Alas, no more reports tomorrow. Given the traffic issues around the Big Day, I plan to work from home.

As an aside, I haven’t watched any of the speeches at the convention so far — though I do want to catch Biden tonight and Obama, of course, tomorrow.

UPDATE: Per building management:

Management has received information there may be some splinter protest groups that may intend to access the office building lobbies for protesting efforts. As a preventative measure we are implementing the access card security control system at 12:45 pm, today, which will require you to use your access card at 18^th Street entrance and building elevators.  

At this time the plaza entrance will remain open and the more formal check in process will not be implemented.

And, indeed, I had to use my cardkey to get back up to our office. No signs of protesters around.