Month: August 2008

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.

Police horses at Civic Park.

Doings about downtown …

1. The commute home last night on the light rail was crowded — SRO for most of the trip. Which is, in fact, a good thing (esp. since I grabbed a seat at the beginning of the line).
2. The commute in this morning was pretty normal, however.
3. Not much protest action on the 16th Street Mall today. Not as many cops there, either. More kiosks o’ swag, and folks giving stuff out for free on corners, though. (See below.)
4. Wandered over to the Convention Center. Same swarms of delegates, protesters, vendors, and cops.
5. Odd occasional caravan of police cars leading unmarked SUVs with darkened windows.
6. Wandered down to the Civic Center, in time for the daily protest parade. Took many pictures. Nobody, alas, being beaten by cops, or flinging poo, or flashing themselves, or being sprayed with pepper gas. Just as well, I suppose.
7. Headed back to the office. Fun times.

Swag I picked up today:

1. Something Mary asked for.
2. A Denver DNC Convention shot glass
3. An Obama action figure (yes, I did).
4. A bag of Rock the Vote nuts (free)
5. An Atkins bar (free)
6. A Trojan “Evolve” ring (which I’m pretty certain is intended for one’s finger).
7. A flier on Homelessness … in the Afterlife.
8. A flier on why Jesus isn’t a Republican (or a Democrat).
9. A flier on overpopulation (anti-immigrant).
10. A Clean Coal fan (for fanning oneself when the climate heats up).

Current plan is I’m going to work from home on Thursday, as that should be the worst traffic day. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

Today’s Official Noontime Protest March Down Colfax.

DPD in front of the Convention Center.

I think they were more objects of curiosity than winners of converts.

Blue bear for a blue state?

A block from the Convention Center.

Got out a bit late to lunch, but here’s what I saw …

1. Various vendor booths set up in the median of the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, all selling various swag (mostly Obama, some more generic Democrat). Partisanship aside, let me say that there are a lot of bad t-shirt designers out there.
2. As noted earlier, the first real police presence I saw was hanging out at the Federal Reserve Building, both on the street level and a few cops up a floor.
3. Interesting to see folks with delegate tags chatting about this and that, convention-wise.
4. Wandered over to the Convention Center, which was much more of a zoo. Lots more button and shirt vendors, plus various folks for various causes getting various photos taken of themselves (PETA and Operation: Rescue were both taking turns in the spotlight).
5. Saw a spiffy little Denver PD rapid response vehicle — basically a pick-up with running boards for a dozen cops or so to ride on the outside. Let’s them get a squad someplace pretty quickly (as long as they don’t have to travel so far). Also various cops on motorcycles, cops on bicycles, and cops in black tactical gear on foot.
6. Lots of people giving away things — I got several candy / power bars.
7. During my walk, at 16th and Champa, there was a some group or another protesting “Homo Sex” and offering to tell the crowd how it was that they were all going to Hell, etc. On my way back, a counter-protest had started up (mostly younger kids who were drumming and singing to drown out the original protesters, along with a few cat-calls, raised fingers, etc.). All fine and good, but they were essentially all blocking the mall buses, which were backed up over a block. The cops milled about a bit to make sure that nobody was actually going to scuffle, then cleared a channel for the buses. As I was heading back to my office, I saw the little tactical truck heading down the mall in that direction, so no idea if things heated up after I was gone.
8. Cops on street corners. Protest groups walking hither and thither on their way to an appointment with destiny.
9. One added rumor to the Bike Racks of Doom thing — evidently the hotel that shares our building is hosting a few of the delegates, which immediately bumps up the security. There was a group of five or six riot-suited cops on the corner behind the building, by the loading dock entrance.

So far, so interesting.

Yeah, these folks were out in force at the DNC lunch break, too.

Reporting on business life in Downtown Denver during the days of the Democratic National Convention.

1. Lights were on at the convention center — which is now surrounded by Jersey Barriers (though the the Big Blue Bear is still cute).
2. Light rail was a bit busier at 5 a.m. than usual. At least some of that traffic (like the guy sitting across from me) was volunteers.
3. Chit-chat on the train was about various protest groups on Sunday marching here and there and what roads were closed.
4. The Bike Racks of Doom are, indeed, gone for the moment from the front of the building. I was greatly relieved.

More as it happens.