Editor’s note: Ten men were arrested for defacing the west steps of the state Capitol building during the protest Wednesday night.
Shortly after dark on Wednesday evening, shouting was heard on the block of 17th Street between Wazee and Wynkoop streets. People on the plaza in front of Union Station stopped and looked. Soon several police officers on motorcycles rode single file from 16th Street to the front of the station. They seem to relish the drama of driving on the plaza, positioning themselves side-by-side facing up 17th Street.
The shouting was from a company of protesters that approached Wynkoop Street, then stopped. They were dressed mainly in black and several wore white masks of an iconic smirking face with a thin sweeping mustache and goatee. A few carried protest signs and waved their fists menacingly. (We learned later from friends that the masks were the stylized face of Guy Fawkes, a 17th century anarchist, and that this demonstration coincided with the commemoration in England of Guy Fawkes Night.)
For those like me who failed to pay attention in English history class, Fawkes was a Catholic sympathizer who opposed the unification of the Protestant Church of England under King James I. On Nov. 5, 1605, he had the misfortune of being apprehended while guarding explosives that were meant to pulverize the House of Lords and, with luck, end the reign of the king. The populace and authorities of the time dealt with him harshly, and after a few agonizing days he managed to commit suicide, depriving everyone of the satisfaction of an execution.
Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in England as a triumph over his treasonous actions.
Returning to 21st century Lower Downtown Denver, the masks have since been co-opted by disparate protest movements. The Internet hacker group Anonymous, for instance, wore them at a demonstration in 2008. The issues on the signs carried by our High Plains Fawkesians could be described generously as unfocused, to wit: Police, they engage in brutality; War, it’s a capitalist enterprise; and GMOs, we’re worried about them, although not entire sure why. I made up my mind that if this farce is repeated next year, I will carry a banner opposing fluoridation of water and measles vaccinations.
Traffic on both streets was blocked and several police SUVs equipped with running boards and roof handles (like in old-time Elliot Ness Prohibition movies) arrived with Swat teams hanging on. They jumped off and formed a row in front of the motorcycles. A platoon of bicycle cops filled in the back of the phalanx while a police helicopter hovered overhead, shining a spotlight on the empty intersection that separated the two groups.
Rounding out the spectacle, a third contingent — passersby and curious patrons from nearby eateries (Fawkes gawkers?) — lined the sidewalks at the intersection, their faces dimly illuminated by the ubiquitous cellphone cameras. The whole thing took on the appearance of a low-budget videogame. You expected a super warrior dressed in camo and brandishing automatic weaponry to leap down from the “Travel by Train” sign.
Several tense minutes passed as the malcontents shouted epithets and gestured obscenely at the officers who watched stoically. One or two of the horde defected (weenie Faukesers) and attempted to blend in with the spectators. It was apparent that the dissident leadership had planned the operation as far as a confrontation but neglected to formulate an exit strategy. Finally, a plan was communicated among the group and slowly they turned and headed south on Wynkoop Street, shouting insults at no one in particular.
The bicycle officers followed at a courteous distance and peace on the plaza was restored. A transient carrying a large backpack who had happened upon the scene fell in behind the entourage sashaying and singing softly to himself.
Andy Youtz lives in downtown Denver.
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