Last night, the Mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper went on TV to announce that regular Denver citizens should come downtown. That conventioneers won’t get a good experience of the city if citizens don’t fill the downtown and make it come alive. He said regular citizens shouldn’t be afraid of the protesters.
The protesters aren’t afraid either.
For instance: Here is what shows at ground level: a vociferous protester who says he represents the decriminalization, or legalizing of (depending on one’s viewpoint) marijuana: “Free Our Weed”… “Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation”
However, his particular group of avid protesters seemed not to notice what ‘wicked this way comes’ right overhead:
One might think no concern is necessary for, during the last November’s voting cycle, Denver voted “to make adult marijuana possession the “lowest law enforcement priority.” But, the State of Colorado’s laws over-ride a city’s laws in this department.
Word on the street seems to be that the police will not to make arrests of persons smoking pot.
But Mason Tvert, a local activist with Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, says since last November the rates of arrests for pot smoking in Denver have gone up, not down.
Though this whole idea of ‘grand political conventions’ might long to look kingly and queenly, at the bottom in the roots, as in most of life elsewhere, it often reads like a Punch and Judy scenario…
Imagine with “second-hand highs,” in an open air stadium seating 65,000 for Obama’s big night, that alone could mean the Democrats –and police– get extra-happy. Really, really happy, I don’t know, like maybe suddenly needing to order up 130,000 cherry pies? Some are bound to respond: Like, you know. Like wow. On endless loop.
But, on the other hand, although there’s a caché to holding the ‘joint’ and ‘passing’ it/sharing, et al, that approaches the ritualistic mode of tribal cigarette smoking, I heard this on the street this morning too and just had to shake my head and remember Ionesco doesn’t have a corner on the market of absurdist theatre: “They can’t get us. There’s no law against smoking Brownies in public.”
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CODA
I am OUTSIDE the DNC convention and am funneling with/from a group of intent journalist-blogger ‘outsiders’: photo credits here go
1. to jgm, people’s press, 2. tljames, same.