The “fusion center” for Minnesota law enforcement, which Dan Browning and Mark Brunswick describe in their story here on Politically Connected, has a counterpart in Colorado, and both no doubt will play a role in the massive security efforts around the Democratic and Republican national conventions next summer.

In both Denver and the Twin Cities, protest groups have been laying plans for large demonstrations.

In Denver, the most active protest group appears to be one called the “Recreate 68 Alliance,” a reference to the chaotic 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. The group’s website, www.recreate68.org, invites people to: “Join us in the streets of Denver as we resist a two-party system that allows imperialism and racism to continue unrestrained.” The website includes a form to fill out for out-of-town protesters looking for a place to stay in Denver, and for locals willing to host the visitors.

Democratic delegates may also be greeted by thousands of abortion opponents. The Pro-Life Coalition, which has a history of protesting with graphic depictions of aborted fetuses says it will stage prayer vigils, concerts and other activities. Here’s a Rocky Mountain News story about the group’s plans. The Denver Post reported in this story last week that the group may bring legal action against the city because the city is changing its timetable for accepting applications for special event permits next year in connection with the convention.

Whichever protest groups show up, they’ll likely be allowed closer to the Pepsi Center than protesters were for the Democratic convention in Boston’s Fleet Center in 2004, according to this Rocky Mountain News story.

In Minnesota, protesters already have selected the date and the route for the main protest during the Republican National Convention next year. On the convention’s opening day, Sept. 1, 2008, they’ll march from the State Capitol to the Xcel Center, where the delegates will be meeting. Worried that officials will try to pull a fast one and somehow restrict their protest, the protest organizers are seeking a permit to start monthly protests at the convention site beginning Jan. 1. They hope that will fast-forward any legal disputes, leaving the protesters plenty of time to challenge and resolve them. Here’s our story about that strategy.

In addition to anti-war groups, a group called the “RNC Welcoming Committee” has been making plans to demonstrate at the GOP convention. It describes itself as an “anarchist / anti-authoritarian organizing body.” It has held a number of meetings around the country, including a planning session in the Twin Cities over the Labor Day weekend and another one last night (Nov. 4). It also has scheduled a Midwest Regional Consulta in Milwaukee next weekend, where “we can further elaborate strategies to shut down the RNC and enact our rage against the capitalist order,” it says on its website, RNCwelcomingcommittee.org.

In August, it released this video spoof of its preparations.

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