Two days before the start of the Democratic convention, police patrol Cuernavaca Park in Denver. The city has spent a year gearing up. (By Joshua Duplechian — Rocky Mountain News Via Associated Press)

By Eli Saslow Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, August 24, 2008; A06 DENVER — To the uninformed visitor, it has become difficult to tell whether Denver is preparing for a Democratic National Convention or the institution of martial law. Helicopters filled with armed commandos swooped over downtown in a training exercise earlier this summer. A warehouse was converted into a temporary jail with chain-link fences and signs threatening the use of electric stun devices. Travel agents sold getaway packages to locals, with one company imploring residents to ‘escape town while you still can.’

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