The City of Chicago is gearing up to host the Democratic National Convention, which opens next Monday at the United Center.
The Coalition To March On The DNC, an organization comprised of more than 200 groups from around the country, will descend on the city to protest the Gaza War. The coalition has already lost a big case in court. They were suing the city to be placed within "sight and sound" of the United Center. But a federal judge wisely turned down their request. They will instead be placed three miles from the United Center in an obscure public park
"We're here to show off our city," John Roberson, chief operating officer for Mayor Brandon Johnson's office, said. "We're here in this moment to show that Chicago can shine. We're here to demonstrate that in this moment, that we can host the most democratic of activities, the nomination of someone to the highest office of our land and to provide space and room for the full expression of our First and Fourth Amendment rights."
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is working to make the convention "safe."
"We want to make sure that everyone coming to the city of Chicago, all of our residents, everyone who is participating, are safe," Snelling said. "This is our first priority. We want to make sure that we have a safe and successful Democratic National Convention. Our officers have been training for over a year and the Chicago Police Department, along with everyone who is going to be working with us, our federal, state and local partners, county, we're all working in collaboration to make sure that the city is safe and secure."
The Chicago Police came under withering fire after the George Floyd riots of 2020 for its less than gentle tactics in crowd control and mass arrest policy. Supposedly, the department reformed training procedures and has been drilling in de-escalation tactics and other non-confrontational ways of bringing order to chaos.
“We’re not going to allow you to riot,” Snelling assured the crowd gathered for a City Club of Chicago event.
“Protesting and rioting are two different things. You have the right to protest, but there will be no rioting tolerated,” Snelling added.
Snelling has repeatedly claimed his department is prepared to both handle demonstrations and keep neighborhoods safe throughout the convention, which is set to run from Aug. 19-22.
His tough talk comes amid concerns over how officers will manage protests and potentially respond to the type of chaos that marred the 1968 Democratic convention and swept through Chicago in the summer of 2020.
Snelling insisted the more recent turmoil, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, should be remembered as “rioting.” He noted that people were murdered, cars were burned and businesses were looted — and he made it clear that cops won’t let that happen next week.
Snelling says he's going to be proactive in slapping down protests that look to be getting out of control.
“I’m not going to wait until it gets out of control and then try to bring it back in,” he said. “The moment it starts, you put an end to it quickly. … So we will not allow people to come here and destroy this city.”
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The protest coalition has been promising to follow its own parade route rather than stick with the city-approved route. Specifically, they may veer off toward the United Center. If they make good on that threat, this is where the trouble might start.
Asked to draw a clear line between rioting and protesting, Snelling told reporters after the event that police are specifically going to crack down on “violent actors” and vandals.
But he couldn’t say how exactly protesters will be treated if they diverge from an approved route, noting that such issues will be handled on a “case-by-case” basis.
Ed Yohnka, spokesperson for the ACLU of Illinois, said the superintendent’s comments seem to ignore some of the policing failures of 2020 when officers “responded to people not engaged in criminal activity by treating them as though they were.”
Yonkha said describing rioting so broadly “blurs that line for officers.”
The coalition is expecting 40,000 people to protest. It's possible but not likely. But half that number would be a huge headache for the Chicago police who are already under the microscope for past bad actions.
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