Denver police leadership has been working hard to improve both its use-of-force

Tag : Shirt

A T-shirt being distributed by Denver's police undermines the efforts the Denver Police Department hasmade to boost its credibility in the community.
It also accomplishes something we thought would be difficult if notimpossible: It cedes the moral high ground to Re-Create 68 agitatorGlenn Spagnuolo.
That's because the shirt also is emblazoned with a "68" with aslash through it — a reference to Spagnuolo's protest group.
It's true that Spagnuolo made a pest of himself in the monthsleading up to the August convention in Denver. He hinted darklyabout violence and disruption.
And he boasted that Re-Create 68 would be 50,000 strong and wouldillegally occupy Civic Center park on a day when another group hadlegitimately obtained a permit to use the park.
Once the convention got underway, it was apparent that Spagnuolo'spredictions were either a product of wishful thinking or delusionsof grandeur.
Protest crowds were far smaller than anyone predicted, and while amarch did cross through the park, it was far from the mass sit-inpredicted.
Overall, we thought law enforcement was effective in givingprotesters the opportunity to exercise their First Amendment rightsand march with little disruption to the rest of those who were intown for the convention.
It was, generally speaking, a peaceful four-day event.
Unfortunately, this T-shirt is an affront to the hard work of theofficers who labored under difficult conditions to make thathappen.
Brian Maass, a reporter for local CBS affiliate KCNC-Channel 4,reported earlier this week the shirts were being sold for $10 eachby the Denver Police Protective Association, the union thatrepresents most of Denver's 1,400 police officers. The shirts alsohad been given free to every Denver officer.
Maass quoted a police detective who said such shirts aretraditionally created as a commemorative item after a big event. Sofar, so good.
But why create something with such an offensive overtone?
Denver police leadership has been working hard in recent years toimprove both its use-of-force practices and its image within thecommunity after several controversial shootings.
This T-shirt, no matter how tongue-in-cheek it was supposed to be,diminishes those efforts.
Perhaps the folks in the police union who initially got a gigglefrom the shirt's double entendre will now see why it's not thatfunny after all.