So, Anybody in the thick of it??

[Marlin]

Reports Please,,,,

[Ridge]

There is an elephant riding a Segway on 16th and Blake handing out Obama stickers...not very successful, as people just giving them back...

[Just Ed]

Watched the protesters at the Federal Quad from 25 stories up. Seemed to be more police than protesters. Police figured nothing was going to happen so they dispersed. Protesters followed suit not too much later.

There are more people downtown than what I've seen on 5th ave in New York at rush hour. It's crazy crowded down there. Not only at the mall but also at the Convention Center and even on 17th street.

[rondog]

Thankfully, I had to leave downtown around noon to go to The Springs, but there's always tomorrow.....

[The1andOnlyKC]

Late night report says boring.....

[7idl]

what happened around 03:00 last night?

[Marlin]

Well, depending on the account You want to believe,,

Cops say that The protesters Pick up rocks and Bottles and started to advance,,,

The Hippie scum say that They were only moveing the rocks and bottles out of the way, So that the Police didn't trip over them..

[Ridge]

The Hippie scum say that They were only moveing the rocks and bottles out of the way, So that the Police didn't trip over them..

[westy1970]

According to organizers and supporting video( I only saw the hippies video, nothing to support the police yet), the police escalated it by rousing people in an area set aside by the city as a safe zone. The police also broke rule #1 in riot control- no exit. Since they did not leave a way for people to obey or to get out of the way, my vote goes for the hippies.

When I was a cop in the PRC I saw the same thing happen on New Year's Eve 1993. I was stationed downtown about 6 blocks away acting as rear security. Riot police surrounded the people and started popping tear gas with no exit. In trying to get away the south line was broken and those guys got run over. It also resulted in much damage to the busnesses in the area. The next time we gave a dispersal order, we told them where to go and it went much better.

Looks like poor training on DPD's part.

If I see video showing them picking up rocks or throwing things at the po-po, then they deserved what they got. Otherwise I say they got their rights violated.

[Ridge]