From c5cc5085061c495bff51280516d026ed6bec677b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Brian Picciano Date: Sun, 31 May 2020 00:51:53 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] denver protests --- _posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md | 110 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 110 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md diff --git a/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md b/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..61d92f9 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2020-05-30-denver-protests.md @@ -0,0 +1,110 @@ +--- +title: >- + Denver Protests +description: >- + Craziness +--- + +We went to the May 30th protest at Civic Center Park. We were there for a few +hours during the day, leaving around 4pm. I would describe the character of the +protest as being energetic, angry, but contained. A huge crowd moved in and +around civic center, chanting and being rowdy, but clearly was being led. + +After a last hurrah at the pavilion it seemed that the organized event was +"over". We stayed a while longer, and eventually headed back home. I don't feel +that people really left the park at the same time we did; mostly everyone just +dispersed around the park and found somewhere to keep hanging out. Again, we +left around 4 pm. + +Tonight there has been an 8pm curfew. The police lined up on the north side of +the park, armored and clearly ready for action. We watched all of this on the +live news stations, gritting our teeth through the comentary of their reporters. +As the police stood there, the clock counting down to 8, the protesters grew +more and more irritated. They taunted the police, and formed a line of their +own. The braver (or more dramatic) protesters walked around in the no-man's land +between them, occasionally earning themselves some teargas. + +The police began pushing forward just before 8 a little, but began pushing in +earnest just after 8, after the howling. They would advance, wait, advance, wait +again. An armada of police, ambulance, and fire trucks followed the line as it +advanced. + +The police did not give the protesters anywhere to go except into Capital Hill, +southeast of Civic Center Park. We watched as a huge crowd marched past the +front of our house, chanting their call and response: "What's his name?" "GEORGE +FLOYD". The feeling wasn't of violence still, just anger. Indignant at a curfew +aimed at quelling a movement, the protesters simply kept moving. The police were +never far behind. + +We sat on our front stoop with our neighbors and watched the night unfold. I +don't think a single person in our building or the buildings to the left and +right of us hadn't gone to protest today in some capacity. We came back from our +various outings and sat out front, watching the crowds and patrolling up and +down the street to keep tabs on things. + +Around 9pm the fires started. We saw them on the news, and in person. They were +generally dumpster fires, generally placed such that they were away from +buildings, clearly being done more to be annoying than to accomplish anything +specific. A very large set of fires was started a block south of us, in the +middle of the street. The fire department was there within a few minutes to put +that one out, before moving on. + +From the corner of my eye, sitting back on the stoop, I noticed our neighbors +running into their backyard. We ran after them, and they told us there was a +dumpster fire in our alley. They were running with fire extinguishers, and we +ran inside to grab some of our own. By the time we got to the backyard the fire +was only smouldering, and the fire department was coming down the alley. We +scurried back into the backyard. A few minutes later I peeked my head around the +corner, into the alley, to see what happening. I was greeted by at least two +police in riot gear, guarding the dumpster as the fire deparment worked. They +saw me but didn't move, and I quickly went back to the yard. + +Talking to our neighbor later we found out she had seen a group of about 10 +people back there, and watched them jump the fence into another backyard in +order to escape the alley. She thinks they, or some subset of them, started the +fire. She looked one in the eye, she says, and didn't get the impression they +were trying to cause damage, just to make a statement. + +The fires stopped not long after that, it seems. We're pretty sure the fire +trucks were just driving up and down the main roads, looking into alleys and +stopping all fires they could find. In all this time the police didn't do much. +They would hold a line, but never chase anyone. Even now, as I write this around +midnight, people are still out, meandering around in small groups, and police +are present but not really doing anything. + +It's hard to get a good view of everything though. All we have is livestreams on +youtube to go on at this point. There's a couple intrepid amateur reporters out +there, getting into the crowds and streaming events as they happen. Right now +we're watching people moving down Lincoln towards Civic Center park, some of +them trying to smash windows of buildings as they go. + +The violence of these protests is going to be the major story of tonight, I know +that already. That I know of there's been 3 police injured, and some broken +windows. I do believe the the tactic of pushing everyone into Cap Hill had the +desired effect of reducing looting (again, as far as I can tell so far), but at +that expense of those who live here who have to endure latent tear gas, dumpster +fires, and sirens all through the night. + +Even now, at midnight, from what I can see from my porch and from these live +streams, the protesters are not violent. At worst they are guilty of a lot of +loitering. The graffiti, the smashed windows, the injured officers, all of these +things will be held up as examples of the anarchy and violence inherent to the +protesters. But I don't think that's an honest picture. The vast, vast majority +of those out right now are civily disobeying an unjust curfew, trying to keep +the energy of the movement alive. + +My thoughts about these things are complicated. When turning a corner on the +street I'm far more afraid to see the police than other protesters. The fires +have been annoying, and stupid, and unhelpful, but were never threatening. The +violence is stupid, though I don't shed many tears for a looted Chili's or Papa +Johns. The police have actually shown more restraint than I expected in all of +this, though funneling the protest into a residential neighborhood was an +incredibly stupid move. Could the protesters not have just stayed in the park? +Yes, the park would likely have been turned into an encampment, but it was +already heading into that direction due to Covid-19. Overall, this night didn't +need to be so hard, but Denver handled this well. + +But, it's only 1am, and the night has a long way to go. Things could still get +worse. Even now I'm watching people trying to break into the supreme court +building. Civic Center appears to be very populated again, and the police are +very present there again. It's possible I may eat my words.