By
The Associated Press
DENVER - Police arrested more than 140 American Indian and Hispanic activists protesting Saturday's Columbus parade, the city's first since 1991.
The activists, saying Christopher Columbus was a slave trader who committed genocide against their ancestors, poured a line of red liquid across the route to represent their ancestors' blood.
Police arrested 147 people on misdemeanor charges, including loitering and failure to obey lawful orders, but there was no violence and no one resisted arrest, police spokeswoman Mary Thomas said.
Clashes among protesters and Italian-Americans during the city's 1991 parade had forced the annual parade's cancelation until this year. Italian-Americans and the activists had reached an agreement that there would be no protests if the parade was limited to an Italian pride parade, but several representatives of the Italian community later disavowed the deal.
"It was a total success," said parade organizer George Vendegnia. "We had our parade and they had their protest and nobody got hurt. We got our heritage back after nine years."
Police had cut down a section of a fence that had been erected to block protesters, and permitted demonstrators to take up spots on the street used for the parade. But after a brief demonstration, police moved back in, giving the Indians the choice of leaving or being arrested.
Among the 147 people arrested was American Indian Movement activist Russell Means, who said the protesters would ask for individual jury trials. The charges can bring penalties of up to a year in jail.
"We broke no law today," said fellow AIM activist Glenn Morris.
In 1989, Means and three others were arrested after throwing fake blood on a Columbus statue. The next year, protesters shouted anti-Columbus slogans during the parade.
The 1992 parade was canceled moments before it was to start because of concerns about violence.
Each October, about two dozen Columbus parades take place across the country, though none has had the intense protests of Denver, city manager of public safety Ari Zavaras said. Italian-American groups in New York and in San Francisco have removed references to Columbus and instead march for Italian pride.
The Denver parade organizers and protest leaders have agreed to meet next week to avoid similar controversy next year.
"It will remain a Columbus parade forever, unless they change it on the federal level," Vendegnia said.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated the second Monday in October.
