Denver Mayor Mike Johnston took a stroll down to the pro-Hamas encampment that continues to defile the Auraria campus, in an effort to reason with them, as though such a thing were possible. For his trouble, he was called a “fascist” by one of the miscreants, whose grasp of the definition of that word is as tenuous and slovenly as the protestors knowledge of history and geopolitics.

Now, I know Mayor Johnston a little from his time as a state senator, and I can readily confirm, should, per impossible, such confirmation be necessary, Mike Johnston is not a fascist.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s focus on the absurdity of civic and university officials entering into some bizarre negotiations with the lawbreakers. Yes, they have a right to protest, and that right extends even to those as morally bankrupt as antisemitic supporters of barbaric terrorist organizations. But no right is absolute, a fact readily apparent to anyone who pays more than superficial attention to the Constitution. It is impossible to absolutize any one freedom without interfering in the exercise of another absolute freedom. It is impossible, for instance, for one to simultaneously exercise one’s Sixth Amendment right to compel testimony on one’s own behalf while respecting another’s absolute Fifth Amendment right not to be compelled to testify as a witness against himself.

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So it is in this instance the disturbances of the pro-Hamas campers, if nothing else, are interfering with the civil rights of others. It is the government’s primary duty to protect its citizens from violations of their civil rights, and the primary mechanism for doing so is by enforcing civil laws — not by negotiating with those who violate them. The mayor’s intentions were noble, trying, as I presume he was, to deflate and deescalate the metastasizing situation. But his aims would have been better met had he exercised instead his duty as reality dictates, rather than idealistic fantasizing.

Reality and ideology seldom marry happily. An ideological view of the world which paints it as an oppressive construct from which liberation is the goal, looks magnificent on paper but fails to comport with the world as it is. Idealism is the less-fanatical sibling of ideology, but similarly revels in platitudes in service to utopic designs which bear little relevance in the real world. This is how we end up with approaches to crime which strive to appear deeply thoughtful and compassionate, but ultimately exacerbate the problem. Creating an even playing field is great as a platitude; creating an even playing field between cops and robbers is a disaster.

There seems to be a state of open conflict between idealism and reality within city hall on the issue of illegal immigration. For years Denver embraced an official policy of welcoming illegals, offering itself (and its resources) as a “sanctuary city.” On paper that looks entirely noble; Christian even, to the extent one can use that term in any way associated with public office. But then the illegal immigrants took the city up on the offer, in droves. The costs began to mount, and the resources began to look not so infinite. They had to be drawn from other things, and pretty soon those other things that resources were drawn from were not the politically easy ones, but the things that people expect a city to use taxpayer money for.

Hence, reality took over, albeit briefly, a month ago when Johnston’s political director, Andres Carrera, informed a group of migrants at a shelter city had all but depleted its resources, and they best move on. “The opportunities are over,” Carrera told them. “New York gives you more. Chicago gives you more. So, I suggest you go there where there is longer-term shelter. There are also more job opportunities there.” 

Well, a month later the city published a “newcomer’s” handbook — as the introduction explains, “As part of Denver’s welcoming approach, we use the term ‘newcomers’ to refer to migrants, recognizing that they are new to our city and embracing more inclusive language.” Alas, the struggle continues.

Across the country, local leaders are losing patience with pro-terrorist protestors setting up camps, interfering with others’ liberties, and now demanding to be fed for it all, and are sending in the police to do their job. Reality tends to eventually set in and dictate policy; on this, and other issues the mayor faces, it is simply a question of how long it will take, and how much damage is done in the meantime.

Kelly Sloan is a political and public affairs consultant and a recovering journalist based in Denver.