The Denver Post reports today that it was not the Secret Service who ordered, through a Denver Center for the Performing Arts security man, Carol Kreck to give up her "McCain = Bush" sign or be arrested this past Monday morning. According to DCPA sources, the request came from McCain's campaign staff.
First, let me give you a little background. In the video that has widely circulated on YouTube and elsewhere, your own Chimes of Freedom is the "crazy guy" in the goofy pea pod costume. More on that later...
So I witnessed the incident first-hand. Now I'd like to attempt to correct at least some of the misinformation and disinformation about the incident that also has been widely circulated on the "internets."
Number one falsehood: Carol Kreck was protesting, or at least carrying a sign, in an area where no protesting or sign-carrying is allowed.
Truth: Carol was carrying a sign that said simply "McCain = Bush" while standing in line waiting to get into the Seawell Ballroom where McCain's "town hall meeting" was to be held. She was standing in line quietly, as the rest of us were, outside the building when we were approached by a DCPA man and the Denver Police and told, in my case, that I had to take off the costume immediately or face arrest. In Carol's case, they told her to give up the sign or be arrested. The line was not moving - they had not started letting people into the building yet - when we were approached. Further, there was no indication from any involved party prior to this that we were not allowed to hold signs (or wear silly costumes) while standing in line on the plaza outside the ballroom. When we first arrived and joined the queue, a couple of McCain people told us we could not bring the signs inside. We were quite prepared to comply with that requirement. If there is any rule against protesting on the plaza, it is a moot point, because there was no protest.
Number two falsehood: the incident occurred on private property and/or at a private campaign event.
Truth: The Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC) where it all went down is owned in its entirety by the City and County of Denver. It is public property. The town hall event was widely publicized ahead of time as open to the public, and indeed it was. Anybody could walk up off the street, as we did, and get in line to go in. It was a public event, not a private one. The McCain people themselves acknowledged this to the press on Monday.
Number three falsehood: Carol Kreck staged the whole incident. The ProgressNowAction group put her up to it.
Truth: Carol joined us impromptu on the street, at 14th and Curtis, shortly before we held a small press conference promoting the theme "McCain and Bush are peas in a pod" (hence the costume). I didn't even learn her name until after the whole thing went down. I had only found out about this press conference the day before, when I was asked if I would be willing to wear the costume. At any rate, Carol obviously staged nothing, because as I mentioned above, she did nothing to provoke the confrontation with the Denver Police.
Number four falsehood: Carol Kreck was arrested for protesting and was thrown out of the town hall meeting.
Truth: Carol was not arrested at all. She was escorted off the DPAC grounds and ticketed for trespassing. She never set foot inside the building where the town hall meeting was held, and in fact the meeting had not yet started at the time the incident occurred.
There are no doubt many more items I could address, but these are the essential ones that come to mind.