http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_13208254?source=commented-news
Dem HQ vandalism suspect posts bail
By Jessica Fender
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/26/2009 01:35:28 PM MDT
Updated: 08/26/2009 05:06:34 PM MDT
Denver police say 24-year-old Maurice Schwenkler broke 11 windows at the state Democratic Party headquarters on Santa Fe Drive. (Denver police)
A 24-year-old suspected of vandalizing the Colorado Democratic Party headquarters is free on bail this afternoon.
The arrest of Maurice Joseph Schwenkler, known in some circles as the transgendered activist Ariel Attack, sparked chatter on a network of anarchist websites as friends today raised money for bail and legal fees.
Schwenkler was released on $5,000 bail and stands accused of felony criminal mischief for allegedly shattering windows at the Colorado Democratic Party headquarters in Denver with the help of a still-at-large accomplice.
Pleas on several anarchist sites such as Queers Against Obama and Infoshop News described Schwenkler as a “transgendered activist” who uses the name Ariel Attack.
Benjamin Yager, who said he posted the solicitation for the Free Ariel Attack Fund, declined to comment until he could speak with Schwenkler. He said the money raised will cover bail and legal costs.
“Jail is a dangerous place for everyone but especially trans people,” Yager wrote on behalf of Denver Bash Back. “We make every effort to get our friends and comrades out.”
The Colorado Independent, a political news site, was the first to spot Yager’s requests for cash.
Bash Back is a group of radical gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals who began organizing in 2007 to protest the Republican and Democratic conventions, according to its website.
Schwenkler was arrested at a protest in St. Paul, Minn., during the Republican National Convention. He was among a group of protesters gathered on a city bridge who refused to leave, police there say.
In Denver, Schwenkler was paid $500 by a Democratic-leaning political 527 group in 2008 to canvass for a Democratic candidate.
But Tuesday morning, Denver police say Schwenkler, clad in a hoodie and latex gloves, took a hammer to 11 picture windows around 2:20 a.m. at the Democratic headquarters in the Santa Fe Drive arts district. The incident caused an estimated $10,000 in damage.
A party official said the vandals appeared to attack posters promoting President Barack Obama and his health care reform plans.
The Queers Against Obama site, where Schwenkler’s friends sought donations for legal expenses, boasts a banner quote that takes aim at both the progressive movement and Obama.
“You progressive ‘Obamaniacs’ can keep right on being the change you want to hope to see (or whatever Yes you can!), but we refuse to allow you to intimidate us into silence simply because you fear having your willful delusions shattered.”