DENVER — The police presence in downtown Denver was very heavy Monday night, with squads of cops in full riot gear on nearly every corner of the 16th Street pedestrian mall. This seemed unnecessary as a couple of blogger buddies and I strolled along the street about 6 p.m. But an hour later, as we were in a 33rd-story condo a couple blocks away, my cell phone rang: “They’re rioting,” said a woman we had been talking to at the Sheraton Hotel during the afternoon.

Jim Hoft and another blogger left to go catch the action. The protesters were outnumbered by the cops. At least 16 protesters were reportedly arrested, and there ensued a standoff that consisted mainly of chanting.

As I wrote earlier, there is little real potential for serious mayhem in Denver. Despite warnings of as many as 50,000 protesters descending on the city, it seems that fewer than 2,000 responded to the call to “Recreate ’68.” The Denver P.D. seems more serious about security than the protesters are about anarchy.

I photoblogged some street scenes from Denver.