A Tale of Two Cities: Liberty and Security at the 2008 National Political Conventions.

The 2008 national political conventions were both National Special Security Events -- a designation that triggered the implementation of an array of statutes, regulations, and presidential directives mostly created subsequent to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. This legal regime substantially redefined the relations between local, state, and federal government agencies as they discharge their respective repsponsibilities for protection public safety, security, and rights of political expression at presidentially designated NSSEs. This paper reports comparative research on how the cities of Denver and St. Paul sought to define and maintain their respective balance points between protecting public safety and security on the one hand and protecting rights of political expression on the other. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]