"It does not come easy for me to root for the police and prosecutors, especially when they're dealing with non-violent protesters, but as nearly as I can tell, the Denver Police Department acted properly last October to protect the rights of American citizens to express themselves, and a jury last week acted improperly in acquitting the people who tried to deprive others of their civil rights.

At issue was the annual Columbus Day parade and protest last year. More than 200 people were arrested in downtown Denver on Oct. 9 after they blocked the parade, which was organized by the Sons of Italy-New Generation. The protesters were charged with failure to obey a lawful police order, and eight of their leaders were tried, and acquitted, last week.

One of those acquitted leaders was Glenn T. Morris, an associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado at Denver. Even though the college catalog says that he holds a juris doctorate from Harvard, his understanding of American constitutional principles seems dubious, to say the least."

Get the Story:
Ed Quillen: These are civil rights? (The Denver Post 1/25)

Relevant Links:
Transform Columbus Day - http://www.transformcolumbusday.org

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