64 Pot-Related Tickets at 4/20 Rally, Man Cited for Giving Away Water?

The number of attendees at Wednesday's 4/20 gathering at Civic Center Park was much smaller than in recent years, likely owing to the lack of a musical headliner. A more elaborate 4/20 rally was canceled this past Saturday at the last minute "due to weather and circumstances beyond its control," the event's organizers...

By Michael Roberts

April 21, 2016

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The number of attendees at Wednesday's 4/20 gathering at Civic Center Park was much smaller than in recent years, likely owing to the lack of a musical headliner. A more elaborate 4/20 rally was canceled this past Saturday at the last minute "due to weather and circumstances beyond its control," the event's organizers maintained.

But the Denver Police Department was out in force anyhow, and the number of citations issued — 79, with 64 of them described as "marijuana-related" — represents a much higher percentage of ticketing than in 2015.

Last year, as you'll recall, 4/20 weekend was a two-day event that featured an appearance by hip-hop superstar Rick Ross, who drew a throng many times larger than yesterday's crowd. On day one, the DPD issued sixty citations — fewer than yesterday — while day two saw cops handing out 100 more, for a total of 160.

Also seen in a YouTube clip shared here: Police rousting a vendor for what the videographer says in the description was giving away water and snacks without a vendor's license.

The headliners of Saturday's rally were supposed to be Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa — and Khalifa caused a stir among those at Civic Center yesterday when he strolled among the revelers, as documented in this tweet:

Rapper Wiz Khalifa at #4/20 rally at Denver's Civic Center Park - poeticchurch pic.twitter.com/0KbQxtgJBB
— JKH / Gay Leftist (@jaycamikenGL) April 20, 2016

There was plenty of room for him to walk.

Here's a video that shows the modest attendance.

Also seen on video — a partier rapping at a group of unhappy-looking police through a megaphone.

More notable is the aforementioned vendor situation, as seen in this video.

Granted, not everyone who wanted to take a hit at 4:20 p.m. was hampered — and as witnessed by this video....

420 Rally Civic Center Denver Colorado #BFP #bigfuckingpipe https://t.co/jBQzZcIceE https://t.co/5qo9ovFG31
— joseph short (@francisurbinoii) April 21, 2016

...many of the folks on hand consumed publicly without a great deal of subtlety.

Still, Denver law enforcers and officials made their presence felt beyond Civic Center Park. Watch this space for more.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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