War protesters on Friday boycotted their own public forum, one the city had been ordered to hold as part of a legal settlement over arrests during a 2003 demonstration.

Though it was not stipulated in the settlement, the protesters claimed they thought they’d be able to help edit tapes of the event, which will be aired on the city’s Channel 18. When told they couldn’t, they walked out and accused the city of violating the terms of the settlement.

“Unfortunately, we cannot participate,” said Eric Doub, one of those arrested in 2003. “We hope to participate in a forum in the future that meets the terms of the settlement.”

The forum went on without them.

Assistant City Attorney Tom Marrese said nothing in the settlement indicates the protesters could take part in the editing.

“It’s their effort to really interrupt what should be a good honest open forum. We’re not going to play their game and let them stop this,” Marrese said.

The forum was the result of a lawsuit filed over the war protests on Feb. 15, 2003, when police fired tear gas and pepper spray to break up a crowd of 2,000 at Palmer Park after some demonstrators blocked traffic on North Academy Boulevard. Thirty-four were arrested there, at Peterson Air Force Base and at a nearby Dairy Queen.

Marrese said the footage will be edited to a 20-minute video for television, as well as an 8-minute police training video to be shown to all officers.

Protesters said they are concerned about the editing twisting the forum’s content.

“The final version would be edited by the city and by Channel 18, and we would have no control or authority,” said Bill Doub, Eric Doub’s father and another of the plaintiffs.

“That doesn’t work for us. It’s the same kind of thing as police charging across the parking lot and arresting people on their way home,” he said.

Though half of those in attendance walked out with the protesters, the cameras rolled.

“We now have a couple of open slots on the panel, and we’d like to fill them,” Marrese said.

Bill Young, who said he has worked with anti-war groups in the past, was the only person to sit opposite police.

What followed was a congenial discussion about the events of February 2003 and the more recent arrests of seven war protesters in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Both sides said officers could use more training in handling such demonstrations.

“The majority of our officers are outstanding. It only takes a few to cause problems, and it only takes a few to take away our liberties,” Young said.

“We provide our officers with a good deal of training, but you can never get enough education,” said Deputy Police Chief Steve Liebowitz.

Both also attributed many of the problems in 2003 to a “breakdown in communications” that allowed a small group of “troublemakers” to hijack the entire protest.

The forum lasted less than an hour. City spokeswoman Sue Skiffington-Blumberg said her office will edit the video, but no discussions will be taken out.

The protesters, who remained outside the meeting room for most of the forum, said they would have their attorney file paperwork claiming the city violated the settlement.

“The case is wide open again,” said Arden Buck, one of the plaintiffs. “They’re not following the lines of the agreement, so it’s back to the courts.”

Said Marrese, “We think it fully complies with the court order, and we’ll be in front of the judge if we need to.”

No date has been set for the video to air. The settlement indicates is must air by October.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 476-1605 or scott.rappold@gazette.com