demver: miscellaneous

A few final images left over from last week's events in Denver (through late Tuesday)... "New Orleans for Obama!" Brass band playing outside of the convention center Tuesday morning: one of the coolest things I saw all week. Everyone was tapping a toe or full-on dancing, in spite of the heat.

Hillary supporter exchanging heated words with Obama supporter.

Dudes for McCain.

A disappointed Hillary supporter lets you know what's on her mind.

Hillary at Monday night event for "Count Me In" at the Denver Art Museum.

Available at the "Democratic Marketplace" before the convention: Obama nesting dolls. 

Given the traffic and Denver's scarcity of cabs, this was the preferred method of getting around downtown.

Biking/walking to the convention and events was strongly encouraged. Freewheelin stations were set up around the downtown area, allowing you to borrow a bike/map/helmet. Free! (Very cool.)

The Denver Convention was apparently the "greenest" convention yet, and tried to highlight a range of environmental issues. There were a lot of educational/informative festivals/exhibits happening the weekend prior to the official events. (Though I personally would have hoped for more (any) recycling receptacles on the streets.)

denver: words plus images

This convention is overflowing with inspired signs and flyers, cool graphics on tshirts and buttons, local art exhibits, etc. Of course these images just scratch the surface; I'm already lamenting all of the photos I *didn't* take.

The Andeken Gallery was the site of the Manifest Hope exhibit, a collection of work based on "the central themes of the progressive grass-roots movement- Hope Change, Progress, Unity and Patriotism." Its a cool show, definitely take time to see it if you can (in Denver through tomorrow, I think).

Crowds outside the Manifest Hope show.

Civic Center Park.

As part of Dialog City, DJ Spooky presented "Terra Nova," a multimedia piece, at the Ellie Caukins Opera House.

denver: roadblock

Monday night, roadblock at Broadway and Colfax. Police and protesters clashed nearby in Civic Center; pepper spray was used and @ 100 protesters were detained (Denver Post). We were close by, at the Art Museum, and noticed some haze and a helicopter with searchlight flying low loops.

denver: dnc spectacle

Just behind Union Station, MSNBC has set up a tv studio where they are filming shows live, featuring the crowds in the background.

Table setting for a private DNC-related event at the Art Museum.

Down an alleyway off the 16th St. Mall, horses get some shade and rest from the heat.

Honest Abe hanging @ Denver.

denver: where is george clooney?

Apparently, not at the Cruise Room on a Monday night.

denver: bunting!

Sunday was sunny and very warm, and the downtown mall filled with people as the day went on. Flags were flying, cops were cruising around in small groups, people were dining on patios and walking around drinking iced coffee. There were small protests popping up everywhere, usually a stream of people with signs and drums walking up one side of the mall or the other. And t-shirt and buttons vendors filled in all of the spaces in between. I hope you all were hoping for Obama/Biden tote bags and dishtowels under the tree this year.

Denver Convention Center.

Larimer Square.

Messages everywhere.

Bunting, for real.

Police on mountain bikes running a red light and almost getting hit by a car.

McCain supporters.

Police were out on bikes, horses, motorcycles, cars/SUVS, and on foot. And in riot gear. Usually in small groups like this. It was really quite hot by mid-afternoon, and these officers must have been sweltering.

Ubiquitous helicopters.

denver: "they are not the bosses; we're the bosses.*"

*Cindy Sheehan. She gets points from me for this quote, as its essentially "you are not the boss of me." Images below from this morning's protest on the steps of the state Capitol in Denver.

Cindy Sheehan is running for Congress, and her message this morning was, in a nutshell, that the country's two "corporate" political parties need to pay attention to what the people want, instead of catering to corporate interests and following the dollar, exclusive of reason and humanity.

Cop-watchers keeping tabs on the officers keeping tabs on the protesters.

Capitol building, Denver, 9am.

After speeches on the steps, the group marched through the streets to the Pepsi Center, site of the official business of this week's Democratic National Convention. I'd moved on by that point, as I wanted to check out the goings-on on the 16th street mall. (And there was coffee calling my name.)

denver: calm before the storm

@ Federal Ave: Entrepreneurship.

The coordinated and credentialled are beginning to appear.

I wish I had a better shot. This is a fleeting glimpse of about 8 (what we assumed to be) fully-geared riot-police/SWAT-types riding on the outside of an SUV. Not an everyday sight here. Also didn't get the photo of 20-25 cops on mountain bikes meeting near Coors Field.

@ Colfax: Billboards updated in anticipation of a wider, potentially power-wielding audience. (Thanks Gina for pointing this out.)

Also not pictured: helicopters flying in groups, noticed mid-morning and also doing a loud fly-over around 9:30 this evening.

kickoff: 96 hrs of Demver

SFO, 4am.

Denver International Airport.