The Mayor’s office has announced which groups have been granted slots to utilize the designated parade route during the week of the Democratic National Convention. In May, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the city for failing to assign what path demonstrators would be able to march through downtown and how close protester would be able to get near the Pepsi Center.
But that case was essentially nullified last week when the city consigned a 50,000 square foot parking lot behind the stadium as the official “demonstration zone,” as well as a certified a path for marchers that begins at the capitol and travels toward the Pepsi Center on Speer Boulevard. Still undetermined is the ending blocks the parade route will take after Larimer Street. These details will be finalized in the coming weeks, says the Mayor’s office.
Thus far six groups, shown after the jump, have applied and been granted parade slots from August 25 to August 28. Tent State University, a former cohort of Recreate 68, can now be seen as representative of the recently formed coalition Alliance for Real Democracy. Parades will only be allowed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Several slots are still available and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Parade anyone? – Jared Jacang Maher
UPDATE: The ACLU's Mark Silverstein points out that "nullified" isn't the correct way to describe the current status of the lawsuit since the city's designation of the route and demonstration zone was only part one of his group's legal contentions. The second is "information about restrictions on First Amendment activity." Litigation could still take place on whether the terminus of the parade route will bring participants "within sight and sound" of delegates entering the Pepsi Center and the nature of the public viewing area. He also says that a parade permit request to march to the Federal Courthouse was denied, an issue that could be argued in the second phase of the suit.
Monday, August 25 Barbara Cohen, Recreate 68
Tuesday, August 26 Barbara Cohen, Recreate 68 Nita Gonzales, We Are America: Immigration Rights March Shannon McNamara, We Are Change Colorado Damien Sedney, Citizens for Obama March for Democracy
Wednesday, August 27 Barbara Cohen, Recreate 68 Damien Sedney, Citizens for Obama, March for Democracy Adam Jungk, Tent State University
Thursday, August 28 Barbara Cohen, Recreate 68 Richard Eastman, Americans for Safe Access Damien Sedney, Citizens for Obama March for Democracy Jess Knox, Protect Colorado's Future
