Police padlock producer

By William R. Toler

The handcuffs on the First Amendment were tightened Aug. 27 when a producer for ABC News was arrested in Denver, Colo.

Asa Eslocker was manhandled by a cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant for taking pictures of Democratic leaders and high rollers leaving a secret meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel in the Mile-High City.

Officers on the scene would not say what the charges against Eslocker were, but ABC News reports that its lawyers were later informed by a police official that is Eslocker is “being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order.”  The official added that the arrest stemmed from a complaint signed by the hotel.

ABC News also reports that one officer was overheard saying, “You’re lucky I didn’t knock the f..k out of you.”

Jailhouse Rockies

By William R. Toler

Political protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. next week could wind up in a secret jail.

On Aug. 13, The Denver Post reported on the holding facility while the location was still secret. A few days later, the location was revealed. However, civil rights groups and other protesters disapprove of the facility dubbed “Gitmo on the Platte.”

The Post later reported that protesters said the “secret jail” was previously unfit for voting machines. “This facility has a long history,” said Glen Spagnuolo. “The city pulled its voting machines from here because the building gets too hot. Yet now, they’ll put people in there who use those machines to vote.