Following news reports and a video showing Denver law enforcement agents ordering a reporter off a public sidewalk and pushing him into the street and later arresting him, the ACLU and the ACLU of Colorado called for renewed protection of the First Amendment guarantees of free speech and a free press. Our joint statement is here.
Raw Story reported today that protestors detained after mass arrests on Monday were held without access to counsel. The ACLU of Colorado's Taylor Pendergrass says: "The City refused to provide any access to allow these persons to meet with attorneys."
The ACLU of Colorado sent a letter (PDF) to William Lovingier, Director of Corrections and Undersheriff for the Denver Sheriff Department and City Attorney David Fine yesterday outlining this week's events and its concerns about possible violations of protestors' constitutional rights. It's an excellent, first-hand account by Pendergrass about what exactly went down earlier this week.
