by Sean Bowditch

The City of Denver and the Secret Service have until tomorrow to disclose how demonstrations will be handled at the Democratic Convention next month. The Denver Post reported that a lawsuit filed back in May by the ACLU of Colorado forced law enforcement officials to reveal that demonstrators would be cordoned off in specific areas by chicken wire or chain-link fence. When that came to light, the ACLU promptly filed an amended complaint, arguing the policy is unconstitutional. And they say the designated areas will be out of sight and earshot of delegates entering the two venues. These are the issues the ACLU hopes to resolve tomorrow.

The delicate balance between maintaining security and respecting rights came into sharp focus following the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston. There, authorities created a controversial "demonstration zone" that was encircled by concrete barricades, fencing, plastic sheeting, and topped with razor wire. The judge in the case said the comparisons to an internment camp were "an understatement". And the move infuriated First Amendment advocates. Convention planners now tend to be very cautious about protestors after the 1968 Convention in Chicago, when police and protestors clashed in the streets for days.

And the ACLU of Colorado has another lawsuit pending in district court as well. They are demanding that the City of Denver disclose how it has spent the $50 million in federal money it was awarded to beef up convention security. The city says $18 million has been put towards equipment, but have been mum on the specifics. Several reports, including this CNN story, have speculated that the expenditures might include new-age, non-lethal devices such as ray guns, slime machines, and a contraption that causes you... well... to lose control of your bowels. A ruling is expected in early August.