Activists with the Recreate 68 coalition are
planning a rally today against a newly discovered detention center for
mass arrests during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28.
Demonstrators will be gathering at 3833 Steele St., Denver, one of the
many addresses given to a city-owned warehouse that used to be the
headquarters of the now-defunct Denver Election Commission. A blog
called George in Denver correctly identified the
exact location on Wednesday. The city of Denver has since confirmed
the fact.
The jail – which
includes cages, barbed wire and signs warning of stun-gun use – was
discovered by CBS4News earlier this week.
Recreate 68 is planning to show up to protest the jail at 3 p.m. today,
describing the lockup as creating “a mini-occupation of Iraq on the
streets of Denver during the DNC week,” according to a statement.
About the warehouse:
The building was erected in the 1940s, according to Denver property
records, but in 2006, when it was being used by the election
commission, a number of problems were found in a city audit, including:
Lack of proper temperature control.
Brick-and-wood structure with an open floor plan.
Access from an underground tunnel not properly secured.
Security system not visually monitored from an outside location.
Lack of proper electrical connections.
Warehouse exterior lighting not functioning.
Warehouse not in compliance with [Americans with Disabilities Act]
requirements.
that will be used for
protester detention during the convention. (Photo/City and County of
Denver)
At one point the temperatures in the building got so high as to put
election equipment at risk, according to the audit:
The warehouse has no permanent cooling system
and only one of four heaters works properly. Consequently, the
temperature inside the warehouse fluctuates with the temperature
outside resulting in the warehouse becoming extremely warm during the
summer and cold during the winter.
In response, Sue Cobb with the mayor’s office has said that indoor
cooling will be on when those arrested are taken to the facility. “If
it was to have been used as storage for that equipment, the air
conditioner might not have been on,” Cobb said.
History of property:
Here is a history of the building, according to city documents:
1942-1946 – Site built as U.S.
army medical depot.1951 – Property is transferred to U.S. Air Force
and used as accounting and finance center.1977 – [Federal General Services Administration]
conveys the 38th and York property to City and Denver Public School
System.1991 – City returns the site back to the
Federal Government.November 2006 – The City takes over the property
management.March 2007 – [Denver Office of Economic
Development]
engages in sale negotiations with Inner City Health Center for front
half of the site, and with Colorado & Santa Fe Real Estate Company
for the back half.June 2007 – Colorado & Santa Fe Real Estate
backs out of the deal. Negotiations continue.
detention facility. NDI is a
privately-held company and as is Inner-City Development Corporation
(ICDC).
Illustration/City and County of Denver.