10 days before the election, a peaceful pro-pot rally in Manitou Springs was disrupted by the cops Saturday.
One pro-marijuana group says the police intentionally shut it down while the police say it comes down to paperwork.
Vote ‘NO’ on 2G supporters say a vote against the amendment would keep recreational pot sales in Manitou. A vote in favor of 2G would halt the sale of recreational pot in the city.
“I don’t care either way,” councilman Sarge MacDonald said. “I always tell every citizen vote your conscience, vote your belief, just get out there and vote. But, I support these people because they wanted to put on this event. I escorted them to city, and they did everything they were told to do by every department. This is a big fiasco right now.”
Police say they did not stop the rally. They tell KRDO NewsChannel 13 they only stopped vendors from selling food because those vendors did not get the okay from the city.
“It’s a zoning issue with the city,” Odette Saglimbeni with the Manitou Springs Police Department said. “Whatever permit they had wasn’t through the city of Manitou Springs. They had a permit to have the rally, that was all they had a permit for, not to vend.”
Vendors who counted making on hundreds of dollars at the event before they were told to pack up don’t buy the cops argument.
“Freedom of speech is supposed to be open in the United States and to be shutdown the way the city of Manitou has done to us is completely wrong,” vendor Richard LaPlant said.
Right or wrong, the marijuana debate is still quite emotional in the only city in El Paso County that currently allows recreational pot sales.
Manitou rally in support of recreational marijuana sales disrupted by cops
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