A federal judge is still deciding whether the City of Denver's plans for protesters at the DNC passes constitutional muster. Perhaps the largest issue is what the Secret Service likes to call the "Public Viewing Area," a 47,000 square foot lot surrounded by a fence on the grounds of the Pepsi Center that protesters have taken to calling the "Freedom Cage."
One of the questions U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger must deal with is if the area allows demonstrators to get within "sight and sound" of the delegates entering the convention. Already the demonstration area is 733 feet away from the Pepsi Center, and the view from the area will mostly obstructed by a massive media tent and Brian Williams' chin.
These photos (after the jump) were taken yesterday, as work on the Freedom Cage was getting underway. When completed, the area will be surrounded by two fences and many, many police. --Jared Jacang Maher
A pic from the Rocky shows the lay of the land: The view from the main entrance to the Pepsi Center looking Southwest toward the demonstration zone: The only view from the Pepsi Center that allows sight of the demonstration zone is from the terraces of the private suites: The inside of the media tent situated between the protest zone and the Pepsi Center: The view from the center of the demonstration zone toward the Pepsi Center: From the center of the demonstration zone looking East toward Auraria Campus: From the center of the demonstration zone looking South: The front portion of the demonstration zone that actually allows sight of the Pepsi Center is obstructed by trees and sculptures: There is a small sliver of pavement that gives a clear view of the entrance where delegates will be arriving:
