To alleviate the confusion of a few folks, the "DNC" here means the Convention, not Howard Dean's "DNC".
Titles from linked sources were reposted exactly.
The Democrats and the Po-lice are ready for terrorism protests in Denver.
City readies warehouse for mass DNC arrests
Some protesters arrested at the Democratic National Convention could be jailed in a city- owned warehouse, complete with metal cages and barbed wire, CBS4 News has learned.
Investigative reporter Rick Sallinger discovered the location and managed to get inside Tuesday for a look. The newly created lockup, in a warehouse northeast of Denver, contains dozens of metal cages made of chain-link fence material, topped by rolls of barbed wire.
Each of these fenced-in areas is about 15 feet by 15 feet, with a lock on the door.
A sign on the wall reads "Warning, electric stun devices used in this facility."
Land of the Free, ya know.
They weren't really going to tell people about this and had plans to not reveal where the 1200+ arrests they anticipate would be taken.
But some "reporter" accidentally "reported, so now we know.
Barbed wire, stun-gun use mark DNC warehouse jail
Denver officials weren't planning to reveal details about where activists would be detained in the event of mass arrests during the Democratic National Convention until after the event had started, but those plans were quickly dashed this week when CBS 4News reporter Rick Sallinger not only revealed that protesters would be locked up in a city-owned warehouse, but he also obtained clear video footage inside the facility, a building that includes barbed wire-topped cages and signs warning of stun-gun use.
The convention jail is located in a warehouse northeast of Denver, and when Sallinger arrived unannounced with a camera crew to shoot the facility, the door was wide open, allowing the disturbing images of caged holding pens to be broadcast on TVs across the metro area
Everybody who's anybody remember "Little GITMO" from the RNC in 2004: a nasty, chemical-filled warehouse with large chainlink holding pens. The cops during the RNC used orange netting to round up scores of people at a time, regular pedestrians and terrorists protester alike.
Of course, the RNC activity resulted in thousands of lawsuits against the city, most of which they lost. From 2006:
Ninety percent of all convention-week arrest cases have resulted in acquittals or dismissal of charges. "In an effort to maintain tight control over protest activity, the NYPD too often lost sight of the distinction between lawful and unlawful conduct," said Christopher Dunn, associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). "Despite dire predictions that the convention would be the target of violence or even terrorism, the demonstrations were peaceful."
When the reports say "stun guns" they mean "tasers".
Due to all the people killed by tasers I have anticipated a retreat to generic terms - much like "ValuJet" changed it's name to "AirTran" after killing several hundred people. Look for cops to be killing some people...again. I assume the Denver police have already been pre-pardoned.
I hope this becomes an embarrassing spectacle for the Democratic Party wunderkind who thought this was a good idea and that the city of Denver ends up getting sued for rampant rights violations as NYC did in 2004.
That's the least punishment they should experience for being so goddamned hateful towards freedom of speech in this of all countries.
Update [2008-8-14 10:47:45 by xxdr zombiexx]: Here's a bit from Amy Goodman on this isue:
The full spectrum of police and military will also be on hand at the Democratic convention in Denver, many of these units coordinated by a "fusion center." These centers are springing up around the country as an outgrowth of the post-9/11 national-security system. Erin Rosa of the online Colorado Independent recently published a report on the Denver fusion center, which will be sharing information with the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Northern Command. The center is set up to gather and distribute "intelligence" about "suspicious activities," which, Rosa points out, "can include taking pictures or taking notes. The definition is very broad."
Civil rights advocates fear the fusion center could enable unwarranted spying on protesters exercising their First Amendment rights at the convention. Documents obtained by I-Witness Video, a group that documents police abuses and demonstrations, revealed that the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency were receiving intelligence about the protests at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. The growing problem is that legal, peaceful protesters are ending up on federal databases and watch lists with scant legal oversight.
Former FBI agent Mike German is now a national-security-policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. He said, "It’s unclear who is actually in charge and whose rules apply to the information that’s being collected and shared and distributed through these fusion centers." Maryland State Police were recently exposed infiltrating groups like the Baltimore Coalition Against the Death Penalty. German explains how police expand "beyond normal law-enforcement functions, and start becoming intelligence collectors against protest groups. The reports that we obtained ... make clear that there was no indication of any sort of criminal activity. And yet, that investigation went on for 14 months, and these reports were uploaded into a federal database. ... When all these agencies are authorized to go out and start collecting this information and putting it in areas where it’s accessible by the intelligence community, it’s a very dangerous proposition for our democracy."
More at the link.
Update [2008-8-14 11:17:37 by xxdr zombiexx]: Frankenoid advises this issue was dealt with yesterday by em dash.