By Josh Rogin, CQ Staff

Protesters clashed with police outside the Denver state capitol building early Monday evening as law enforcement amassed and tensions heightened.

Tear gas was dispersed on a crowd of screaming demonstrators who had been attending a rally at the Civic Center Park. The protesters’ decision to march on the capitol building without a permit started the confrontation.

As of 7:30 p.m., about 200 protestors and 100 police officers in full riot gear were on the scene. Several police vehicles were en route, sirens blazing.

Police encircled a group of about 50 protesters on 15th Avenue, not allowing them to leave. More tear gas has been used and several more arrests were made as the crowd chanted “let them go!”

Following a 45-minute standoff, the police allowed the cornered protesters to leave, after making several more arrests.

Onlookers greeted the clash with a mixture of pity and scorn. They lamented that the groups lacked a message and also that their commitment to their cause was dwarfed by their much greater desire to antagonize law enforcement.

“It's pathetic,” said Denver resident Brian Goose. “There’s no organization, no unity. Nobody even knows what they’re protesting for. They’re just trying to piss everybody off and they’re not doing a good job of it.”