I Nominate Adam Jung for MPYO (Most Patient Young Organizer)

City Park from Google Earth

I just got back for videotaping another community meeting about Tent State, this one hosted by Carla Madison. Over 100 people showed up to ask the same questions that have already been asked by other citizens at other meetings, and Adam politely, if somewhat exhaustedly, answered them to the best of his ability. As he pointed out, no other “free speech” permit (oxymoron) holder is being forced to meet with countless neighborhood organizations, etc. Adam is extremely mellow, and drones on in response to this or that. Aggressive speakers demand to know how much money Tent State has raised. Adam explains that they are not required to give out that information. Old ladies lecture him on how he is going to control things that are not under his control. And on and on. The big news is that Monday night the Denver City Council passed an ordinance that gives the police the right to stop and search anyone with a backpack to see if they have any of the newly “forbidden” items, which include a bike lock, and to determine their “intent”. Jung mentioned that they had stopped advising people to try to ride their bikes to the park as they felt that might put them in jeopardy as they would probably have bike locks in their backpacks which would subject them to arrest. I have not seen the ordinance. I jumped in with a question about how they are going to protect their group from the effects of 4 years of radionuclide irrigating in City Park, especially in view of the fact that Denver is in violation of State Reg 84 by not having adequate signage. Adam replied that they are going to put up their own signs warning of the dangers. And the Tenters have been warned to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Later the Acting Director of Parks and Recs mentions that they will have to “irrigate” two or three times during the time Tent State will be in the park, in the very area where the Tenters will be tenting. The grass is almost totally brown there now. One woman demands to know what he has mentioned will be announced Wednesday regarding the “camping” dilemma. She wants to know right now. Sorry, says Adam, we’ll be announcing that tomorrow. Let’s see what Adam announces on Wednesday. As it stands, the impasse is still unresolved. More at DenverPost.com.

You already know that I think if the City had one iota of common sense they would let the Tenters camp in City Park during this Extraordinary Event, just as the Indians were allowed to camp overnight at Civic Center Park in 2006. Otherwise, we descend into chaos.