Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper suggested alternative campsites and buses Tuesday to resolve a controversy over allowing thousands of protesters to camp in City Park during the Democratic National Convention, according to those involved in the closed-door discussions.
“We’re open to any resolution,” said Tent State University organizer Adam Jung, who is urging the city to allow anti-war demonstrators to pitch tents in City Park. He detailed conversations he had Tuesday with the mayor and other city officials.
The city issued an assembly permit for Tent State University in the southwest corner of the park as long as the group met certain conditions, such as appeasing the concerns of neighbors and the nearby Denver Zoo and Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
As many as 20,000 protesters are expected daily at Tent State University, Jung said. And he expects about 5,000 would like to camp overnight.
There’s one hitch. City laws prohibit camping in the park.
The issue has roiled city officials, with some City Council members in favor of relaxing the camping ban and others saying doing so could create a dangerous mess for the park as well as set an unwise precedent.
“I don’t think having suburban kids sleeping in City Park is a safe idea,” said Councilwoman Carol Boigon.
“The effects of the organization if we don’t let them camp in the park could be as bad as if we do let them,” Councilman Doug Linkhart said. “It’s a question of which is worse.”
The group will have its own security, sanitation and lighting, Jung said.
“We want to keep it safe and secure,” he said. “If people aren’t allowed to camp, we will facilitate their removal by 11 p.m. Once they leave the park, they are no longer our responsibility.”
Jung said his organization is speaking with area churches and other organizations to find places for people to stay.
He said the idea of busing protesters in from other locations was suggested at a meeting with the mayor.
But it makes more sense economically and environmentally to allow people to camp in the park, Jung said.
“Democrats are trying to make this the greenest convention,” he said. “We’re content to make this as sustainable as possible. We are going to encourage people to bike in. We’ll be recycling and minimize our carbon footprint.”
Hickenlooper spokeswoman Sue Cobb said the meeting was productive, but no decisions were reached.
Jung and other group leaders plan to meet tonight with the South City Park Neighborhood Association. The group also plans to meet with Councilwoman Carla Madison, who represents the neighborhoods near the park, on Friday. So far, she has remained neutral on the overnight camping issue.
“It would feel bad for us to say, ‘No, you can’t camp here unless we have an alternative,’ ” Madison said.
Yet she also expressed frustration that organizers hadn’t made arrangements to find suitable housing for the protesters they are encouraging to flock to the city.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
