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October 30, 2011 11:20 PM UTC

Denver Post Whitewashes Police Brutality

  • 21 Comments
  • by: wade norris

So after writing a diary on the Denver Police crackdown on the Occupy rally at the Capitol, I went to bed feeling self assured that I had written and done enough to cover the issue.

Feeling assured, I sat down for my Sunday Morning routine of breakfast and reading the Denver Post  (ironically my wife and I were having ‘V’ Breakfast – the breakfast that V made Natalie Portman in the movie V)

That’s when I had to stop chewing my food as I tried to digest what the Denver Post was trying to pass off as objective journalism.

Take a look at the Front Page picture:

(You’ll have to see it on the link yourself as CoPols will not allow a front page with the pictures.)



The caption under the picture online reads:

Police raise weapons while making an arrest during the Occupy Denver protest in Denver on Saturday.

But the paper I am holding in my own two hands reads quote:

Police hold their ground while an arrest is made during Occupy Denver Protest Saturday.

The Police are HOLDING THEIR GROUND??!!?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

For those of you not familiar with the Capitol of Denver, these Police officers in the picture are at the bottom of Civic Center park, about 100 yards down the hill from the Capitol Steps.

These officers were forcing the protesters back down the hill, away from the Capitol Steps, with Batons to the head, pepper spray and mace:

I’ll give the Post it’s due, they did a great job of cherry picking a picture that makes it look like these Police are ‘surrounded’ by angry protesters and are ‘Holding their ground’ as they are encircled by them.

Look again:

(You’ll have to see it on the link yourself as CoPols will not allow a front page with the pictures.)

This video shows the protesters being forced back by Police with clubs.

The video tells the story that the Post’s picture and description try to hide:

The people were fleeing from the Police, certainly not trying to stop the Police from ‘Holding their ground’

Oh, and why were the people at the rally in the wrong?

the first midafternoon confrontation had police and state troopers shoulder to shoulder pushing a group of marchers off the state Capitol Steps, which is out of bounds to protesters without a permit.

who is this guy at the Capitol Steps and what is he holding? Could it be a permit?

DSCN3553

And if there was no permit, how could the Police know to block off 17th street, where the march was scheduled to proceed through, where it would be impossible for me to take this picture without getting plowed down in the intersection, unless I was protected on both sides by Police blocking traffic for the permitted march? (those Police were very cooperative by the way)

DSCN3525

So, now, breakfast is cold as I read this:


While the crowd surged around the officers, a Hare Krishna group chanted and danced just behind them.

Did you get that? Those dirty f@#king hippies were ‘surging around the officers‘ – and to prove they were dirty f@#king hippies, there were some of those  dancing Hare Krishnas there too!!!!

Toast drops from the corner of my mouth….

It’s like for a second I can see into the Denver Post’s Editor’s office as he is on the phone with the Mayor or Governor or whomever, and the conversation is something to the effect of:


“This could be a problem, we don’t want to start recall talks like in Oakland. Can you discredit them somehow?”

“No problem.”

Cue to the Editor snapping his fingers as his mind recalls the movie ‘Airplane’ and VOILA!

Hare Krishnas! Everyone knows the Hare Krishnas are the face of the crazy hippie movement!

Laughable… and totally untrue. I’ve got hours, hours, of tape of the peaceful march and rally, and I covered the front, back and middle of the march, and being a Divinity School graduate who studied comparative religions and more importantly, saw Airplane numerous times, I can attest that there was no dancing ‘Hare Krishna’ group.

There was a dancing group of young people with a boom box that is at the end of this video:

And if jamming to LMFAO’s ‘Shufflin‘ is an indicator of being a Hare Krishna, well I must be a convert without knowing it.

The Post does include details that a college student “took a blow to the temple”

another person got pepper sprayed while he was “standing there with (his) hands behind (his) back”

So at least they confirmed the brutality by the Police. Too bad most people reading this article will come to the conclusion that these ‘surging’  ‘Hare Krishna’ people without a permit all had it coming to them….



One young woman at the protest asked me if I was with the press.

I said ‘no just an independent blogger’

DSCN3495

She’s the one clapping in that picture marching with a grandma, a lady with a healthcare sign and a United States Veteran, a.k.a NORMAL PEOPLE.

She asked me,

“You’re not going to write about this like it’s a bunch of hippies are you?”

“I promise you I won’t”

I was thinking about her question as I finished the article.

My wife was noticing my anger in my eyes and the cold unfinished breakfast.

“complete bullshit” I said.

“maybe you could write the Denver Post an Editorial?” she said.

To which I replied:

Screw the Post and their Editors…

I am taking this to the Kossacks and the 99%!

Comments

21 thoughts on “Denver Post Whitewashes Police Brutality

  1. Thanks for bringing it to my attention Nancy.

    The eggs in the middle of toast was delicious reading:-)

    The press is a huge problem. So much rests on the perception of the remaining public. Everyone needs to get down there and see things for themselves.

    I marched on Reagan’s ranch in the early 80’s above Santa Barbara, with many vet’s and military nurses. What happened there, and what I read in the L.A. Times the next morning (over breakfast) caused me to spit my food out! It was completely inaccurate reporting.

    1. Anyone can call the mass media out on bullshit and back it up with original first person reporting.

      Would have been promoted earlier but I was making GOTV calls.

  2. I almost spit up my pancakes this morning when I read the Hare Krishna thing, too. I can attest to it as well. There were no Hare Krishnas in sight.

    The Denver Post has a great photographer, but the journalist who wrote the text should be fired.  

    1. for the journalist to choose to highlight a very small group in attendance as opposed to the hundreds, thousands of middle class  people just shows a blatant attempt to marginalize a growing and legitimate movement.

      thanks for your diary also.

    2. One friend wrote to me today and told me he did see some Hare Krishnas in the park at some point. I have no idea why they were there. Were they demonstrating, observing, or just nearby for another purpose? I don’t know. I want to publicly apologize to Michael Booth for calling him out on this.

      Still, I think mentioning them added to the perception that Occupy Denver folks are “on the fringe” of society. Two thousand people drove or walked in from all over Colorado to protest on Saturday. Videos of the march — not necessarily videos of those who stay around the clock — show they were typical Coloradans.

      To Michael Booth — I apologize.

      1. I have nothing against Hare Krishnas religiously. I respect some of their views very much (ahimsa, for example). Occupy Denver, and Occupy Together protesters all over the country, are typical of Americans from every walk of life, however.

        I think those who have not been down to the Occupy rallies would be surprised how many independents and Ron Paul supporters who are down there every Saturday.

          1. security #1

            the Krishnas provided some color and entertainment

            But, try flying back to the US from Europe the day after the underwear bomber for real joy

  3. They got great footage of police using mace and rubber bullets at protesters that weren’t even near them.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

    You will also hear reports about a protester who allegedly shoved a police officer off of his motorcycle. The truth of that situation is that the officer in question ran over his foot with the front tire of the bike. The protester pushed the bike in reaction to being run over by it, but the officer maintained full control. The officer then jumped off the bike, and sprinted after the wounded protested and tackled him to the ground, along with about a half dozen other officers that piled on him as well while another half dozen made a circle around it, pointing their guns at everyone near by.

    There are 3 or 4 very clear videos of this entire incident. This is one of them:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v

    I followed up on that individual and learned that he was not charged with any crimes, though he was hospitalized and treated for the injuries to his foot, in addition to severe lacerations on his face from being tackled. His name is Frank Roper.

    Today at 6pm, Occupy Denver is holding a peace vigil to denounce all violence from yesterday. (including some protesters who lost control)

  4. Calling all friends who have studied peaceful resistance and non-violent social change. Please lend a hand at the Occupy Denver site when you can. Encourage, teach, model, non-violence and peaceful demonstration. The legacy of the Occupy movement is completely dependent on the patience and character of those participating. Peace. <3

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