Re-create 68 protesters say they are moving closer to Democratic party delegates on the 16th Street Mall after the Civic Center was fenced off overnight, raising concern about possible confrontations.
The Civic Center got an overnight makeover when a chain-link fence was erected that encircles all but the western portion of the park. The fence is among preparations under way for this weekend’s Taste of Colorado event.
Recreate 68 members say they were barred from entering the park early today.
City officials later allowed a free-breakfast bus to enter the park, but not until Recreate 68 diverted members to Skyline Park on the mall, said Glenn Spagnuolo, founder of Recreate 68.
“It seems like we’re the only ones trying to keep things peaceful,” Spagnuolo said.
As the morning wore on, the bigger problem with the fence was that it denied pedestrians a place to walk on the south side of Colfax between Broadway and Bannock.
Dean Tuckerman, 56, of Bellingham, Wash., was forced to navigate his way against the traffic on Colfax alongside Civic Center while pushing a walker.
Walking against the traffic “is a little bit scary,” he said. “I think it’s terrible. I think it’s weird that they would build it so quickly and there’s no warning.”
Tuckerman, wearing a shirt with the words “Troublemakers Union” printed on the front, was headed to join Unconventional Denver protesters planning to march from Civic Center shortly after noon today.
Civic Center was the flashpoint for Monday night’s clash between a protest group and police that spilled over into a tense standoff in a block-long area of 15th Street.
A Taste of Colorado holds the permit for most of Civic Center beginning today through Monday. Until 6 p.m. today, protest group Tent State University holds a permit for the meadow area of the park, and after that, a Taste of Colorado takes over the whole park.
The meadow area was not fenced off and an protest march by Unconventional Denver began from there at noon.
So Re-Create 68 has moved to Skyline Park, near the hotels where many delegates to the Democratic National Convention are staying, could trigger verbal confrontations between protesters and delegates who do not agree with their positions, Spagnuolo said.
“You have all these delegates who are going to be pissed off about things we have to say,” he said.
An employee for the event management company at the Civic Center referred all questions to Taste of Colorado. Taste of Colorado officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The fence prohibits entrance to the park grounds.
The decision to erect the fence early Wednesday morning was unrelated to the disturbance or concerns that another protest might erupt, said John Harrison, spokesman for the Denver Joint Information Center.
According to Taste of Colorado, the fence is required to construct seven stages for music performances and 250 crafts and food booths.
“The fencing is a normal precaution for any construction site and is required in order to safely set up the event,” according to a news release by Taste of Colorado and the Joint Information Center.
The popular Taste of Colorado event, in its 25th year, begins Friday and runs through the Labor Day weekend.
It annually draws 500,000 visitors.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
