An activist from the women's peace group CODEPINK was knocked down and then arrested yesterday by city police in Denver. In the above video, you can see the thematically dressed Alicia Forrest get (quite violently) swatted by a cop's baton, and then scooped away from reporters before she can explain her side of the incident. A guest blogger at the Huffington Post reports that Forrest was hit after trying to photograph cops arresting another protester, and that she was actually struck twice, once off-camera (that's so Sopranos!). Forrest was held in prison for several hours on charges of "interference," according to HuffPo, but the physical element of the confrontation is being investigated by the Denver Sheriff's Department's Internal Affairs Division.

This video is making the rounds, and we expect it will continue to do so. Which raises an interesting point: One should choose one's protest outfits carefully, because you could become an icon of free speech while wearing a hot-pink miniskirt and tiara.

Baton-Bashed In Denver! Is This Really What Democracy Looks Like?! [HuffPo]