Columbus Day - Colorado 2005

Mayor John Hickenlooper came out in support of the right of free speech

Mayor rips parade fight
Hickenlooper expresses frustration over annual Columbus Day feud
By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News
September 29, 2005

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper sent a letter Wednesday to leaders on both sides of the Columbus Day parade conflict, expressing frustration at the annual confrontations over the historical figure's legacy.

Although Hickenlooper doesn't take sides in his two-page letter, and comes out strongly in support of free speech rights, he clearly does not sound like a fan of the parade, which has generated significant protests in past years.

"Frankly, I am sick and tired of this entire costly, frustrating and potentially dangerous situation that does nothing but generate ill will," Hickenlooper wrote.

"I am happy to help celebrate Italian heritage. A parade that inspires such community anguish does not achieve that goal. Most spectators avoid the parade, which winds down streets that are either empty or lined primarily with protesters and police."

He said efforts to manage the annual controversy is "like beating one's head against the wall."

Hickenlooper's bottom- line message was one of hope - hope that this contentious issue will go away.

"I remain hopeful that the Italian community and the Native American community will someday soon find common ground on which they can celebrate both of their cultures and histories without upsetting each other and without creating volatile situations that require significant taxpayer expense to safeguard," he wrote.

"I do not think this is an unrealistic goal, but it will never happen unless people of goodwill on both sides of this issue come together to demand mutually agreeable change."

Hickenlooper voiced his support for the Denver/Lakewood Festival Italiano and the Four Directions/ All Nations March as alternative celebrations to which he'd prefer to see people devoting their passion.

George Vendegnia, who obtained the Oct. 8 parade permit on behalf of the Columbus Day Parade Committee, was not pleased with Hickenlooper's message, which he termed "b---s---" and "a joke."

Vendegnia insisted the parade is not intended as an Italian heritage celebration; it's meant to honor the man who, as he was taught in school, discovered this country.

"I don't think that he is out to preserve my or anyone else's First Amendment rights," the Arvada resident said of Hickenlooper.

"He can say in one breath that he will support our First Amendmentrights, but then in another breath, he says, 'Give it up.' "

Hickenlooper does not quite say that in the letter. But in meetings, Vendegnia said he has heard Hickenlooper say things such as, "Stop embarrassing yourselves."

The letter's other recipient, Glenn Morris - a member of the leadership council of the American Indian Movement's Colorado chapter - could not be reached for comment.

Glenn Spagnuolo, a spokesman for the Transform Columbus Day Alliance, had not yet seen the letter Wednesday.

But on Sunday, the alliance issued a statement saying it "intends this year, as it has in the past, to forcefully express its opposition to any 'celebration' of Columbus."

The protesters see Columbus as responsible for initiating a pattern of genocide against indigenous peoples that has resulted in the death or enslavement of millions.

The parade last year resulted in the arrest of about 240 protesters for disrupting the event. Eight protest leaders - including Morris - were acquitted of the charges in a January trial in Denver County Court. Charges against all remaining defendants were then dismissed.

In June, the Denver City Council passed two ordinances that could be applicable to those arrested in future protests. City officials believe the new rules would result in more successful prosecutions.

Link to Report

Hickenlooper's Columbus Day Parade letter

September 29, 2005

September 28, 2005

Dear Professor Glenn Morris and Mr. George Vendegnia:

In anticipation of the requests and complaints the City will undoubtedly receive from you or your organizations, I am proactively writing you both this letter.

As you know, the State of Colorado made Columbus Day an official state holiday in 1905. In 1937 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12 as Columbus Day, and in 1971, Congress declared the second Monday in October a federal public holiday. As such, those wanting to debate the merit of this holiday would be better served by directing their concerns to the state legislature and federal government, rather than laying this annual controversy at the City of Denver's feet.

The issues surrounding the Columbus Day Parade in Denver date back at least 15 years. Since my election two years ago, I have met numerous times with representatives of the Italian community and the Native American community, trying to negotiate a resolution to this longstanding issue. Year after year, this experience is like beating one's head against the wall.

Despite the City's efforts to find a mutually agreeable resolution, both sides have claimed at one time or another that the City administration does not support them and have threatened the administration with unfounded accusations of racism. Clearly, that is no place to start a constructive dialogue.

For those on both sides of this debate that demand I take a position, let me say this as clearly as possible: As mayor and as an American, I support the First Amendment right to free speech, because I believe in it and because the law requires me to do so. I do not have the luxury of supporting free speech only when I or others approve of the content.

Parade organizers and participants have the legal right to hold their parade, even if it angers and offends people in our community who feel it celebrates a man they believe was guilty of genocide. Parade protestors have the right to lawfully express their opposition, even if it angers and offends some members of our community who believe it is a personal attack on their Italian heritage.

What no one has the right to do is inflict physical harm or break the law by disrupting the parade. Over the past few years alone, the City and County of Denver has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide parade security to ensure the safety of parade participants and protestors. Even more resources are depleted in prosecuting those who break the law during the parade, tying up our already overburdened judicial system. Together, this is an exorbitant amount of taxpayer money — money that, in the tight budget times we live, could be spent on increased neighborhood safety, programs that support youth, and a host of other services and infrastructure that our taxpayers value. Without adequate security, however, the risk always lurks that emotions could lead to physical violence, putting parade participants, protestors and the community as a whole at risk.

Frankly, I am sick and tired of this entire costly, frustrating and potentially dangerous situation that does nothing but generate ill will. I am happy to help celebrate Italian heritage. A parade that inspires such community anguish does not achieve that goal. Most spectators avoid the parade, which winds down streets that are either empty or lined primarily with protestors and police.

Last year, the City and County of Denver partnered with the City of Lakewood and Belmar to host the first annual Festival Italiano, a community event celebrating the culture, food and people of Italy — many of whom have made their home in the Denver metro area. Over 10,000 people attended the Festival Italiano in 2004, and organizers estimate that approximately 70,000 to 100,000 people attended this September. We hoped that the success of this event would provide the Italian community with a celebration to replace the Columbus Day Parade. While many in the Italian community enthusiastically embraced the idea, the parade organizers clearly have not. That is their right, but it is most unfortunate for our entire community.

Over the past few years, the City and County of Denver has provided support to the Four Directions/All Nations March that precedes the Columbus Day Parade. Sponsored by the Red Earth Women's Alliance and other community groups, the march represents a multicultural, multiracial, and intergenerational commitment to ensuring that Denver is a community that honors its diversity and rejects violence and racism. It was our hope that the success of this event would provide the Native American community with confidence that the community honors their history and struggles. But no matter how much we express our support for the ideals that the Four Directions March embodies, there are some who feel anything less than banning the parade — which is illegal for us to do — is a personal attack by the city on their heritage.

It easy to see how this has become an intractable situation over the past two decades, but that makes it no less frustrating. I remain hopeful that the Italian community and the Native American community will someday soon find common ground on which they can celebrate both of their cultures and histories without upsetting each other and without creating volatile situations that require significant taxpayer expense to safeguard. I do not think this is an unrealistic goal, but it will never happen unless people of goodwill on both sides of this issue come together to demand mutually agreeable change.

Sincerely,
John W. Hickenlooper
Mayor, City and County of Denver

Columbus crossroads

Parade opponents list four conditions to avoid conflict

By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News
October 4, 2005

Activists presented Denver officials Monday with four requests they say must be met to avoid a looming confrontation between Columbus Day parade participants and those who oppose it.

Their letter to Mayor John Hickenlooper and to the City Council asks them for an "unequivocal declaration" that celebrations of Christopher Columbus, whom they see as responsible for launching 500 years of genocide against indigenous people, should end in Denver.

It also requests that city officials facilitate dialogue between the American Indian and Italian-American communities, that city funds previously devoted to "paying overtime to riot police" be spent on public services for American Indian people in Denver, and that a review of the Denver Public Schools approach to teaching about Columbus and "U.S. policy of expansion" be undertaken.

The letter, from the Leadership Council of the American Indian Movement of Colorado and the Elders' Council of the Colorado AIM chapter, states that if those terms are met, plans to protest Saturday's Columbus Day parade will be shelved.

The activists want a city response by Thursday.

They may already have it.

"Any opinions on the content of your speech or theirs will merely inflame the issue even more," Mayor Hickenlooper wrote in his response Monday.

"We think it does not encourage free speech and the free exchange of ideas for local government to dictate what is appropriate for local organizations of long-standing to support or to celebrate," he wrote.

George Vendegnia, of Arvada, who obtained the parade permit in the name of the Columbus Day Parade Committee, wasn't pleased with the latest development.

As for a possible city declaration against Columbus Day celebrations, Vendegnia said, "The city cannot do that.

"It's against my First Amendment rights to do that," said Vendegnia. "This goes to show how absurd it is, that they'd ask that. They gotta be crazy."

Denver City Council President Rosemary Rodriguez, however, was not so dismissive.

"I think we have to take it seriously," Rodriguez said, "because they do offer to call off the protest.

"I think some of these requests are things that only the mayor can consider. But, if he were to propose agreeing with one, or all four, and there was a role for the council, we certainly would facilitate it."

As Saturday approaches, the rhetoric has been heating up on all sides.

Hickenlooper last Wednesday sent a letter to protest supporter Glenn Morris and to parade advocate Vendegnia, telling both he was "sick and tired" of the annual conflict.

The mayor urged the two sides to find common ground on which they can celebrate their culture and histories without creating a volatile situation that proves costly to taxpayers.

Vendegnia labeled the letter "a joke." The activists countered by stating that they, too, were sick and tired.

"Imagine the frustration Indian people feel, their entire lives, at having to either object to or accept the celebration of an Indian killer," they wrote on Thursday, asking that Hickenlooper take a "moral stand against parades that celebrate an Indian killer and slave trader."

That letter also said Morris would not be meeting this Wednesday morning with Hickenlooper, as he had been invited to do.

Instead, they countered with the proposal that Hickenlooper appear Wednesday evening at the Four Winds American Indian Center to meet with membership of the American Indian Movement Colorado chapter, and representatives of the Transform Columbus Day Alliance.

Hickenlooper's office said late last week his schedule would not permit him to visit the Four Winds center Wednesday evening, but that he would consider such a meeting at a different time.

Despite the flurry of letters and the public posturing of the past few days, Vendegnia's forecast for what will happen Saturday was mild.

"I think we're going to have a really nice parade," Vendegnia said.

Activists' requests

Protesters say they will drop a planned rally against Saturday's Columbus Day parade if the city meets the following requests:

• Declaration: That the mayor and City Council make a declaration that celebrations of Christopher Columbus should end in Denver because such displays are historically flawed, and divisive to the community. The mayor and the City Council endorse a proposal to replace Columbus Day as a state and national holiday with a more inclusive and appropriate holiday.

• Discussions: That the city facilitate discussions among the groups outlined in the mayor's letter - the Four Directions/All Nations March and Festival Italiano - to foster better relations between the American Indian and the Italian-American communities and to create celebrations that honor all groups and their contributions to the Americas.

• Funding: That the money saved from police protection and prosecution be directed to all of Denver's people, including spending part of the savings for health, homelessness and educational projects involving American Indians in Denver. Specifically, they would like to collaborate with the city and the Denver Public Schools to create a charter school "with an indigenous orientation."

• Curriculum review: That the mayor and City Council endorse a review of the curricula of the Denver Public Schools on the teaching of Columbus and U.S. policy of expansion. They also call on city officials to request a report on Denver schools' teaching of American Indian history.

Link to Report

Statement from Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper

October 3, 2005

"The intention of my letter was not to take sides or further inflame a longstanding volatile situation. I regret that both sides of this issue have taken offense, distracting the conversation from its goal of eventual resolution.

"I apologize if my tone in the letter came across too harshly. It was a reflection of my concern with a seemingly intractable and repetitive situation that divides our community annually, costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and puts the safety of the public and our police officers at risk.

"My letter was meant to convey, on behalf of the community at large, a sincere effort to find a way for both sides of this issue to come together.

"The City will continue to issue parade permits, to prevent unlawful disruptions of the parade, and to protect the safety of parade participants, protestors and the public."

Link to Report

Article Last Updated: 10/04/2005 06:37 AM

AIM offers deal on Columbus parade

The group will cease protests if city leaders denounce the event, but the mayor says that would only inflame the debate.

By Amy Herdy
Denver Post Staff Writer
Denver Post

Members of the American Indian Movement of Colorado promised to cease protests of the Columbus Day parade if the mayor and City Council honor requests that include denouncing the parade and reviewing how U.S. history is taught.

"We're saying, 'You won't halt this racist event, so will you at least end the ignorance in our community?"' said Leslie Andrews, a member of AIM and mother of three young sons. "At least give a chance to Indian children who get belittled in our educational system by prejudices and lies about their people."

Mayor John Hickenlooper, who last week enraged groups on both sides with a letter that said he was "sick and tired of this entire costly, frustrating and potentially dangerous situation," declined the group's request.

"Any opinions on the content of your speech or theirs will merely inflame the issue even more, making future progress on these issues even more difficult," Hickenlooper wrote. "Our primary focus remains the protection of public safety and First Amendment rights."

AIM on Monday wrote city officials to say it and its allies would not protest the parade if the mayor and members of the council agreed to declare Columbus Day divisive and endorse an effort to replace the state and national holiday; facilitate a dialogue between Italian-American and American Indian groups; use part of the money saved from policing the event for American Indian projects in Denver; and endorse a review of Columbus Day and U.S. expansion policy in Denver public-school curricula and declare that such teachings must comply with the statute requiring accurate accounts of American Indian history.

The letter outraged members of the Italian-American community.

"Even if he wanted to denounce the parade, the mayor can't speak for me and all the citizens of Denver - he would be offending everybody's First Amendment rights," said George Vendegnia, founder of the Sons of Italy-New Generation and a Columbus Day parade organizer.

If AIM wants to create a dialogue, Vendegnia said, it should start with the parade committee and not with supporters of an alternative Italian festival.

Using money that is spent on parade security for Indian people would not be fair, he said, as they are the ones who created the costs. As for reviewing Denver Public Schools history curricula, Vendegnia said: "We can't rewrite history. That would be like asking God to rewrite the Bible."

Anna Vann, a parade organizer, agreed.

"The revenue spent on parade day is inexcusable on the part of the protesters, and to even think that those funds should be spent solely on the part of American Indians, absurd," Vann said. As for DPS education, "There have already been changes made, which I don't personally agree with," she said. "My job, as a parent, is to show my child the differences of both sides."

Meanwhile, Glenn Morris of AIM said that until the mayor and council members agree to the proposal, activists will continue with their plans to protest the parade.

"It's very unfortunate the city is squandering yet another opportunity to avoid tension and conflict in the streets," he said in response to Hickenlooper's letter.

The parade has been controversial for years. Opponents say that to celebrate Columbus is to celebrate the genocide of Indian people, while parade organizers say it is an expression of their free-speech rights that honors Italian heritage.

In his letter Monday, Hickenlooper said the city is "always willing to help facilitate a constructive dialogue between the American Indian and Italian- American communities and encourage both communities to continue trying to find common ground on their own as well."

He said he would forward the request for a review of history curricula to DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet.

Staff writer Amy Herdy can be reached at 303-820-1752 or Amy Herdy

More online: Read the complete text of AIM's proposal to the city, plus letters from Mayor Hickenlooper, AIM and the Transform Columbus Day Alliance. denverpost.com

Article Last Updated: 10/06/2005 02:31 AM

editorial

New law sets a fine line on parade protest

Parade organizers and protesters continue their angry impasse over the disputed legacy of Christopher Columbus. Police have new laws to enforce.

Denver Post

The annual Columbus Day parade controversy can be quickly settled, according to a proposal from the American Indian Movement. Bow to our requirements and we'll go away.

AIM delivered to city leaders this week an absurd list of demands, including what would essentially amount to hush money to keep them from protesting Saturday's parade. Along with a public statement by the mayor and City Council denouncing Christopher Columbus, members of AIM said they would drop their protest in favor of a review of how U.S. history is taught in schools and by turning over some of the money saved from police overtime to American Indian causes.

The demands were appropriately rebuffed by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Of course, it was the least he could do since he inadvertently stirred up the annual controversy last week with a scolding e-mail to parade organizers and antagonists. It was a ham-handed effort to end the yearly dust-up between parade-goers who celebrate Columbus as a hero, and AIM and its allies who believe he instigated genocide against American Indians.

The mayor, properly chastened, now says his primary focus is "the protection of public safety and First Amendment rights." That's his proper role.

The issue sadly pits some hyphenated Americans against others, but it isn't too hard to see what should occur this Saturday. Italian-Americans have obtained a permit and should be allowed to parade peaceably - they surely have the right to assembly and free speech. American Indian activists and supporters should be accorded the right to free speech, too, but they cannot block the parade from taking place.

The city is armed with new laws that should provide clarity. Civil disobedience is a treasured tradition in the United States, but blocking exercise of someone else's rights is quite another matter. In years past, protesters have disrupted the parade as police moved in and made arrests. But enforcement was short-lived - last year a jury ruled for the protesters, finding that the city had no enforceable ordinance forbidding people from interfering with a lawful event. To rectify that, the City Council passed two ordinances that make it illegal for protesters to physically or vocally disrupt lawful assemblies, while prohibiting obstruction of public passageways, such as streets.

This Saturday, we urge participants to exhibit mutual respect for the right to parade and the right to protest. That's settled, and civil, precedent as we see it.

Churchill Won't Join Columbus Day Protest

Parade To Take Place This Saturday

POSTED: 8:39 am MDT October 5, 2005
UPDATED: 10:57 am MDT October 5, 2005

BOULDER, Colo. -- Embattled professor Ward Churchill said he won't participate in this year's protest of the Columbus Day parade, saying his presence might be distracting.

"It's not necessary that I be there right now," Churchill said in an article published Tuesday in The Campus Press University of Colorado-Boulder. "If I were to show up and pull out a statement then it would be all about me, and I'm not the issue. Columbus Day is the issue."

Organizers of the Oct. 8 parade said it is meant to honor Christopher Columbus for his discovery of the New World, which protesters say started the genocide of indigenous people.

Churchill ignited a firestorm with an essay comparing some World Trade Center victims to Adolf Eichmann, one of the Nazis who orchestrated the Holocaust. He has refused to retract the statement but said he wishes he had phrased it differently.

After the university determined he couldn't be fired for his essay, an investigation was launched into allegations involving plagiarism, misuse of others' work and falsification and fabrication.

Last year's parade resulted in the arrest of about 240 people for disruption. Eight protest leaders including, Churchill, were acquitted in a January trial in Denver County Court. Charges against all remaining defendants were then dismissed.

Two new city ordinances will be in place for this year's parade that city officials said should result in more successful prosecutions for disrupting permitted events.

The parade resumed in Denver in 2000 after they were halted in 1991.

The American Indian Movement in Colorado has asked Denver's mayor to stop the parade, scheduled for this Saturday. The group has sent a letter to the mayor asking for a declaration to end the celebraton. They say money used for police overtime would be better spent on healthcare and education.

But that argument doesn't sit well with parade organizers.

"The money wouldn't have to be spent. It's not our fault they're down there protesting. The police protection is because of their violent protests," said parade committee president George Venegnia.

"We have never been violent. There are no accounts of violence on our part as protester," said Leslie Andrews, with the American Indian Movement.

Mayor John Hickenlooper said he's not about to tell one side or the other not to exercise their right to free speech. He said he's not taking sides and is willing to facilitate a constructive dialogue.

Opponents of the Columbus Day celebration say they will conduct an educational activity against the parade but wouldn't reveal exactly what that activity would be.

Link to Report

Columbus Day clash on tap

By Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News
October 6, 2005

American Indians and Italian-Americans appear headed for an annual clash during Denver’s Columbus Day Parade Saturday as city efforts to encourage a truce over long-running protests have led nowhere.

"We're getting ready to have a parade," said George Vendegnia, of Arvada, who obtained the parade permit in the name of the Columbus Day Parade Committee.

Protestors, who traditionally have been arrested for conducting nonviolent sit-ins on the parade route, are also poised.

"We are ready to go out there and oppose the convoy of conquest," said Leslie Andrews, a member of the Colorado American Indian Movement’s Leadership Council.

Denver police spokesman Detective John White said his agency will be at "fully staffing," including squads in riot gear, to ensure a peaceful parade for both parade participants, observers and protestors.

Link to Report

Main Page

Last updated on October 06, 2005