Convention protesters demand more visible space
Boston plans more officers, cameras, closures next week
 | |
| |
|
 VIDEO |
 CNN's Bob Franken on beefed-up security at convention.
 CNN's Candy Crowley on Boston bracing for the convention.
 Reactions to Bush, Kerry's addresses to the Urban League.
|
RELATED |
Making their case on issues:
|
| CONVENTION FACTS | 
• Location: Boston's FleetCenter, seats 19,600
• Estimated attendees: 35,000
• Estimated budget: $95 million, revised; original estimate was $49.5 million
• Delegates: 4,353 (611 alternates)
• Volunteers: 14,000
• Hotel rooms used: 17,000
|
|
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Protesters at the Democratic National Convention say their designated area outside the FleetCenter infringes on their safety and free speech rights.
At a news conference Saturday, protesters also complained that the fenced-in area is out of sight to most delegates and passers-by en route to the arena. The convention begins Monday. (Special Report: America Votes 2004, the Democratic convention)
"We are very alarmed that our First Amendment rights have been undermined to the degree that the city of Boston now thinks the rights of free expression, the right to rally and protest means you get out into an area like this," said Leslie Cagan, co-founder of United for Peace and Justice, who likened the protest area to an internment camp.
The area, with a small stage, is surrounded on three sides by a wire fence with razor wire on top. A dozen U.S. Army troops joined Boston police inspecting the space Saturday.
"The issue is what is the balance between security and our Constitutional rights to assemble? We think the city of Boston has gone way overboard in the name of security," Cagan said.
"If we're going be dissenting, we have a right to be seen," said Robyn Su Miller, one of three women wearing pink Statue of Liberty costumes and, when they weren't being interviewed, pink tape over their mouths.
"There are not supposed to be designated cages where you can exercise your First Amendment rights. It's supposed to be all over this country," said Medea Benjamin, also in pink costume.
A designated protest area, with permits required for activist groups, has been the norm at political conventions since 1992.
Cagan said she expects thousands to demonstrate for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. One of the protesters will be Fernando Suarez Del Solar, whose 20-year-old son, Jesus, a U.S. Marine, was killed in Iraq last year.
"I came here because I never believed in the war. In my opinion, this war is illegal and immoral," Suarez Del Solar said, adding that he was confused by the position of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
"Because Kerry supports the war? Or not supports the war?" he asked.
An antiwar coalition will stage a protest march around the FleetCenter on Sunday.
As protesters complained about their designated stage, security officials were preparing to lock down a huge area of Boston.
Although the convention, the first such gathering since the attacks of September 11, 2001, doesn't open until Monday, armed Coast Guard boats already are patrolling Boston Harbor.
Manholes have been welded shut, and there are few, if any, mailboxes and trash cans in sight.
Interstate 93, the main highway on which traffic flows in and out of the city, will be closed during convention hours because it passes within a few feet of the FleetCenter convention site. About 40 miles of roads will be closed in total.
The Boston subway's North Station, a main commuter hub, also will be shut down.
Because of those closures, the city has asked workers to stay home during convention week.
Thousands of local, state and federal officers are helping turn the city into a veritable fortress. Extra "eyes" will be watching the FleetCenter after more than 100 high-tech video cameras were installed, according to The Associated Press.
Fencing has gone up around critical buildings, and those who want to enter must pass through security checks.
Rumor of media target
Authorities fear that some protesters are preparing to target the media.
The FBI said Friday that it had "unconfirmed information" that a domestic group plans to attack media vehicles, possibly with "explosives or incendiary devices," according to a statement issued by the FBI's Boston field office.
Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety Edward Flynn said officials have an idea where the threat is coming from.
"We're looking at people that are coming from the fringes of our protest groups, who seemed to have thought it's a good idea to target media vehicles," Flynn said.
The Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating, the FBI field office said.
The Department of Homeland Security has named both the Democratic and the Republican conventions National Special Security Events. That designation gives the Secret Service the lead in coordinating security.
The federal tab for security at both conventions is expected to be $100 million.
Police will guard ventilation vents at delegates' hotels, and dozens of highly trained emergency-response teams will wait in warehouses in case of chemical or biological attack.
A threat alert bulletin issued Thursday by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security reiterated a warning that terrorists may be planning a U.S. attack in the summer or fall but revealed no credible or specific threat concerning the conventions.
The bulletin was sent to members of the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force and Homeland Security officials in Massachusetts.
Homeland Security officials said the bulletin mentions possible threats to aviation, mass transit and infrastructure in Boston.
Because of the security concerns and Logan International Airport's proximity to Boston's port and city center, the official said that more federal air marshals were being deployed on flights in and out of Boston, and that passengers flying into the city would be given additional scrutiny.
CNN's Bob Franken and Phil Hirschkorn contributed to this report.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
