Sarcastic columnist: ReCreate6!8 will improve Civic Center

The Rocky's Mark Brown:

Watch out. Re-create '68 is coming to Civic Center.

The plan: Invite thousands of protesters to camp out for days during the Democratic National Convention in August in a place that doesn't have adequate water or toilets.

They're going to turn it into "Free City" - free of racism, sexism and homophobia (and, one assumes, soap and hygiene).

Smelly-hippie joke in the lead. Always appreciated by readers.

They're gonna protest. They're gonna camp out overnight. They're gonna wipe out "the disease of an Imperialist, Capitalist, Racist system as seen in our communities," according to their Web site. They're going to get naked and spell out the word peace with their undoubtedly well-toned bodies.

Errrrrr. . .

They say 50,000 people will show up to live in tents during the Democratic National Convention.

I'm betting it's fewer than that. I'm betting they're going to be trading in veggie burritos and cheese sandwiches. I fear that Grateful Dead and Bob Marley music will be played. I fear drum circles. I fear that odd smells will waft through the air.

It'll be mayhem. It'll be a disaster.

Oh, no, wait - did I say "a disaster"? I meant to say "an improvement."

The park is a little seedy. Brown tells a jolly story to illustrate:

Elementary-school children on a field trip were at the park a year ago, and when lunchtime came the kids insisted on sitting in the dirt flower beds to eat. Despite adults' repeated requests that they eat their lunches somewhere cleaner, they wouldn't budge.

"Isn't it sad that so many homeless people have to sleep in this park at night?" I asked one girl.

She nodded.

"When they have to go potty at night, where do you suppose they go?"

Everyone got out of the flower beds.

Will R!68 get out of the flower beds?