Huge protest sign to be taken down [View All]

[The Sushi Bandit]

GOLDEN - Officials are working to remove a gigantic protest sign unveiled this morning in Golden that is visible from downtown Denver.

The American Right To Life Action unveiled a sign on North Table Mountain with dimensions the groups says set a new record for protest signs as measured by the Guinness Book of World Records. The group hopes delegates, journalists and convention-goers will be able to see the sign which reads, "Destroys uNborn Children."

The sign measures 530 feet tall by 666 feet wide, according to the press release. It has the letters D-N-C in huge yellow capitals arranged vertically.

Former Colorado Republican Party chairman and ARTL Action president Steve Curtis said the group began to hike up the mountain at 1 a.m. and finished erecting the sign at 8:30 a.m.

"The protest sign weighs more than 2,700 pounds and was sewed together with more than four miles of seams connecting 2,400 sheets and backpacked onto location and is being unfurled by 44 letter carriers with spotters a mile away to ensure proper letter placement," said Curtis. Curtis did not return repeated phone calls today.

Brian Rohrbough, vice president of the group, did not return phone calls early Tuesday, but said in a press release that the group aims to show links between DNC policies and school violence. Rohrbough's son, Daniel Rohrbough, was killed in the 1999 Columbine shootings. The group says it plans to participate in the Power in the Park protest at the Martin Luther King Jr. park which will take place each morning during the DNC.

Rangers and sheriff's deputies from Jefferson County responded to a report about the sign at 8 a.m. Jeffco Open Space rangers reported that 60 to 65 people were on the mountain constructing the sign. Soon after, the group became dehydrated and tired because they lacked proper supplies.

"They had not brought enough water and food. They came down to get water and food. There was a rumor that they went to lunch but it's not true. They are just taking a break," said Andrea Burns, the community relations manager with the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. "Our intention is to take it down as soon as possible, once they are re-hydrated," she said.

The Jefferson County Parks and Open Space has not decided if they will charge the group with any violations yet. The group did not file for an official permit for a special event or group activity. Currently, the park is working to have the group remove the sign as soon as possible.

"I believe they have been cordial," said Thea rock, manager of Citizen Outreach and Public Information for Jefferson County Parks and Open Space.