Threat by "cop" against DNC protesters a hoax

That was quick. Westword:

Re-create 68's Glenn Spagnuolo and Denver CopWatch volunteer Evan Herzoff both received copies of the flyer, and they took it seriously, scheduling a July 10 press conference to decry what they took to be a threat against them and other activists by a rogue cop. Turns out it was no such thing, however. The creator of the flyer and an accompanying e-mail is an area artist -- he spoke to Westword on the condition of anonymity -- who wanted to inspire conversation, not violence.

The artist hoped the stunt would raise the topic of potential violence at the DNC in a provocative way. "I definitely appreciate the roving spotlight being shown on the police as a way of saying, 'Look, here's what's possible,'" he maintained prior to the news conference . . . . "And maybe by doing that, it will make people more vigilant -- maybe make it one percent less likely that it will happen." But he also liked the idea of tweaking protesters-in-waiting from a prankishly artistic point of view. "It struck me as something that was kind of funny -- it plays into my sense of humor," he says.

Ha. And again: Ha. Spagz & Co., of course, were not amused, and, also of course, want the artist "punished" by the state they otherwise despise and deride:

There's no telling how much air time local TV stations will devote to the flyer dust-up, but no matter how much publicity is or isn't produced, both Herzoff and Spagnuolo want the artist to be punished for his activities. For his part, the artist said he spoke up to save law enforcement the trouble of investigating the police when he was actually responsible.

I should apologize to Spagz for saying in a comment yesterday that I thought it was probably he who had written up the flyer. Sorry, Glenn.

Read the whole thing. The "artist" went to some lengths to pull the hoax off.

Update: here's predictability: "[Denver Copwatch] called for an investigation anyway to confirm the perpetrator's identity, as did Spagnuolo, who blamed the city of Denver for creating an atmosphere in which something like the flyer incident could happen."

Update II: EP at Slapstick Politics has all kinds of fun DNC crapola.

Update III: McCain staff asked for Kreck's removal from Galleria.

Update IV: Another disaster drill for area hospitals. It's not connected to the DNC. At all.