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• Monday, August 25, 2008 08:17 PM

  Philadelphia in 2000 did some things right

  Yeah, we held the Republican convention that year, and Bush got elected, but we got some things right that year. Our police department did some very smart things (and yes, along with some very questionable things).

  Protesters fail, either purposely or by naivety, to understand that people really do live and work in Denver, and by and large the residents just really want them all to go away as quickly as possible. Not because they disagree with their politics. They just hate it kids chain themselves together to block them from living their lives and getting to work and back.

  In the case of Philadelphia in 2000 police in riot gear were rarely, if ever, seen. Our chief of police had his officers in bike uniforms. Not motorbikes, but on bicycles in shorts. They appeared more approachable, and less likely to want to fight. But if protesters got out of hand they would simply line up, lift their bikes up, and use them as barricades. Where they got it wrong is detaining large amounts of people until the convention was over and then saying, 'oops, our bad for keeping you locked up without charges for so long. But now you can protest all you want on your way out of our city'.

  Sans the unconstitutional lockup technique, I'm surprised more cities don't adopt a similar, less threatening police image.

  —it matters Read it matters's other letters
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