A leaked police manual reveals how
Denver police respond to marches and other forms of protest,
including their use of undercover “platoons” of officers to pick
out leaders for later arrest.
On Jan. 19, Unicorn Riot, an
independent media collective with several members in the state,
published a heavily redacted version of the 2011 edition of the
“Denver Police Department Crowd Management Manual” obtained
through a Colorado Open Records Act request. Days later, an anonymous
source sent them an unredacted copy of the 2008 edition of the
manual. The two editions appear to have few differences and the
policies described in both versions match the behavior of police
toward protests, according to activists and journalists interviewed
by MintPress News.
“This manual has been a
tremendous help to our reporting in terms of understanding the police
apparatus that is deployed at protests,” representatives of Unicorn
Riot told MintPress by email.
Both editions of the manual
provide guidelines for handling both planned and spontaneous protests
while maintaining that “all police personnel will ensure minimal
disruption to First Amendment activities.” However, they provide
little guidance to help officers differentiate between protected
speech and unlawful behavior. “This talking point and any other
mention of the ‘First Amendment’ by the police seems to just be
public relations,” Unicorn Riot noted in the email, adding that
Denver police regularly target activists who speak out against the
police, even if their behavior is law-abiding.
Full
report and leaked manual:
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