Amid media deluge, Denver braces for bomb trial with aplomb

From Correspondent Susan Candiotti

DENVER (CNN) -- The city of Denver is bracing for a show as nearly 2,500 news people settle in for the trial of Timothy McVeigh.

The curious could not stay away from the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building. Some stopped to stare; others did a double-take from their cars.

Inside and outside, security is tight. Concrete barricades line the streets surrounding the courthouse. Police are plentiful.

Reporters and photographers are kept on a tight rein. The trial judge has made it clear he does not want a repeat of the O.J. Simpson trial.

"I think the exact quote from the court was 'there was the West Coast circus and this would be the Denver theater,'" News Media coordinator Wayne Wicks said.

Among the journalists, 17 countries were represented.

Elmar Thevessen of German TV said, "the Germans were glued to their TV sets when we saw the actual bombing. The hearts of many people went out to the people of Oklahoma City."

Chuck Green, a columnist for the Denver Post, says the city of Denver has sympathy for the victims. But they're not exactly obsessed with the trial.

"I think most people are more interested in hiking and biking and the start of the fishing season, than they are watching this trial unfold," Green said.

As jury selection begins, most Denver residents seem to be taking things in stride.

With the trial expected to last several months, they'll have a long time to get used to it.

Special sections:

• CNN - Oklahoma City Bombing Trial
• CNN - Oklahoma City Tragedy

Related stories:

• Jury selection begins in McVeigh bombing trial - March 31, 1997
• Emotions run high as McVeigh trial begins - March 31, 1997
• McVeigh moved to underground cell in courthouse - March 29, 1997
• Appeals court denies three requests to delay McVeigh trial - March 28, 1997

Related sites:

• Oklahoma Remembered
• Time: Oklahoma One Year Later

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