Defense attorneys continue push for cost totals on DNC protester trials

A Face the State Staff Report

For the second time this month, defense attorneys are formally requesting that Denver officials quantify costs associated with the prosecution of protesters arrested during August’s Democratic National Convention. The move comes after Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper dismissed defense cost projections first reported by Face The State.

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Debate over DNC trial tab heats up

A Face the State Staff Report

On Thursday's Mike Rosen Show, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper criticized a coalition of defense attorneys who have alleged that the city could spend $500,000 to prosecute protesters arrested during August's Democratic National Convention.

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DNC trials could cost city more than $500,000

A Face the State Staff Report

Trials for protesters arrested in Denver during August's Democratic National Convention began last month and according to defense counsel, are likely to cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The exact tally, however, remains elusive as city officials decline to provide their own estimates.

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Experts Debate DNC's Real Cost Impact

A Face the State Staff Report

While Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is busy touting the estimated $266 million economic boost brought by the Democratic National Convention, some critics are questioning the “real” cost and are left wondering if the August extravaganza was worth the effort.

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"It is no secret that the armies of the Denver police at the Democratic National Convention adopted a policy of intimidation towards people expressing their First Amendment rights. One cannot say that the Denver police did not telegraph their intentions, from promising to overreact during the convention to producing unacceptable t-shirts stating "We get up early to beat the crowds." This week, two cases of Denver police overreaction during the Democratic National Convention returned to the news.

10/9: DNC due process

Are protesters arrested during the DNC getting a fair hearing in court? More >

"After the generally positive reviews for Denver's hosting of the Democratic National Convention, what - on balance - were the benefits and costs for the city?

Mike Dino, chief executive of the local host committee, gave his answer during a recent panel at Skyline Park, part of a series sponsored by Metro State College. Here's the video."

"In Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown's September newsletter, he reports that 38 of the SUVs and cars loaned by General Motors to the Democratic National Convention were missing a week after the event and cites Paul Lhevine, chief operating officer for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, as the source."

"All the real anarchists and rioters were in St. Paul, getting ready for the RNC, instead of embarrassing their not-radical/violent/crazy-enough would-be friends in the Democratic Party here.

(Eat your heart out, Spagz.)"

"Enough change already. Two days into their national convention in Denver, Democrats proclaimed a need for change with a passion seen only from the aggressive panhandlers staked out on the 16th Street Mall a few blocks away.

But behind all of the rhetoric of new beginnings, an aged policy platform has emerged. As eight U.S. Senate Democratic women took the stage Tuesday afternoon to present their "checklist for change," it was hard not to feel sorry for them."