Can you imagine anything in Denver that would spark a riot similar to those in the United Kingdom? Dispensaries in 'Little Amsterdam' shut down without reason, Argonaut running out of microbrews, poorly maintained bike paths? You know, real reasons.
In 2008, Rush Limbaugh implored the masses to rise up during the Democratic National Convention. Recreate '68 attempted to spark the perceived metro tinderbox to no avail. Newly-installed HALO cameras downtown were an ominous sign of 'big brother.' Either because Coloradans are famously low-key or Limbaugh's voice just doesn't carry well in thin mountain air, nothing materialized. And that's a good thing.
Somehow, though, recent videos of riots in the United Kingdom have Denver authorities on edge. The Denver Post writes,
with the unemployment rate for young Americans mimicking that of the United Kingdom and the nations' youth also sharing a sense of boredom and disenfranchisement, the question ... isn't whether rioting flash mobs like those in England could erupt here, but why they haven't already.
Meanwhile, KWGN assures us that Colorado authorities have their ear to the ground. The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), Colorado's go-to agency for terrorism alerts, monitors Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media for whispers of destructive mobs.
The causes for unrest in the United Kingdom are many. Officials there largely blame social media for sustaining the fire once lit, even going so far as to consider government restrictions on the sites. Does Denver face a similar fate? Unlikely.