CHICAGO (AP) — Thousands of activists are expected to gather in Chicago this week. Democratic National ConventionAbortion rights, economic injustice and the War in Gaza.
Vice President Kamala Harris Excited As he prepares to accept the Democratic nomination, a crowd of supporters and progressive activists keep their mission intact.
Activists say Lessons learned Since last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Chicago, a city with deep social activism roots, has predicted large crowds and strong demonstrations.
Illinois Democratic Governor JP Pritzker said he expected Sunday’s protests to be peaceful and rejected any comparisons to the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, which saw bloody clashes between anti-Vietnam War protesters and police.
“If there are troublemakers, they will be arrested, they will be punished,” Pritzker added on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
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Demonstrations are expected every day of the conference, and while their agendas vary, many activists agree to an immediate ceasefire. Israel-Hamas war is a priority.
On Sunday, the day before the convention, things are set to kick off with an abortion rights march down iconic Michigan Avenue.
Organizer Linda Lowe said that while Democrats have pushed to protect reproductive rights domestically, the issue is international. They will march in solidarity with people everywhere fighting for the right to control what happens to their bodies, as well as protest. Money America spends to support wars It can be used for sanitation, he said.
“We believe the continued flow of billions of dollars and arms to the State of Israel has a disproportionate and terrible impact, but especially on women, children and the unborn,” she said. “It’s all tied together.”
Activist Liz Rathburn addresses two rallies in support of Palestine, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, on the University of Illinois-Chicago campus during next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The coalition at the DNC, the largest group since March, plans to hold demonstrations on the first and last days of the convention.
Organizers say they expect at least 20,000 enthusiasts. including students He protested the war on college campuses.
“People with power are going to be there,” said Liz Rathburn, a student organizer at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “People at the United Center are going to decide our foreign policy one way or another.”
Where are they protesting?
Activists sued the city earlier this year, saying restrictions on where they could demonstrate violated their constitutional rights.
Chicago leaders rejected their requests for permission to demonstrate near the United Center on the city’s west side, where the convention was being held, and instead offered a lakefront park 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.
Later, the city agreed to allow demonstrations in a park and a parade route near the United Center. A federal judge recently signed off on the group’s roughly 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) trail.
Workers are seen on the roof of the United Center in preparation for next week’s 2024 Democratic National Convention, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Mancivis)
DNC spokesman Hatem Abudayyeh said he was happy to have the right to protest so close to the convention, but he believed its preferred 2-mile (3-kilometer) march would be safer for large crowds. The group rents out buses to enthusiasts from around half a dozen states.
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“We’re moving forward, full speed ahead,” he said.
The city designated a park about a block from the United Center for the speakers’ platform. 45 minutes will be given to the registrants.
The Philadelphia-based Poor People’s Army, which advocates for economic justice, plans to set up in Humboldt Park on the city’s northwest side and hold events with third-party candidates. Jill Stein And Cornel West, And Monday’s 3-mile (5-kilometer) march to the United Center.
Some group members have spent the past few weeks marching 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Milwaukee. Republican Convention.
“From San Francisco to Philadelphia to Gaza and the West Bank, tents and camps are being destroyed and bulldozers are brutalizing poor and homeless people,” spokeswoman Cheri Honkala said in a statement when the group arrived in Illinois. “These preventable human rights abuses are being committed by Democratic and Republican leaders.”
How does a new appointment change things?
Many activists believe that nothing will change because Harris is part of the Biden administration.
Activist Liz Rathburn holds flyers on the Illinois-Chicago campus, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, about two marches in support of Palestine during next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“The demands have not changed. I don’t see any policy changes,” said Erica Bentley, an activist with Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity. “If you’re going to be here, you should listen to what’s important to us.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters are more visible in Chicago. closes Roads leading to the airport and sit-ins at Congress offices. Some plan to hold their own one-day conferences with third-party candidates on Sunday.
“Regardless of who the nominee is, we are rallying against the Democrats and their evil policies that allowed Israel to kill 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza,” said Fayani Aboma Mijana, an organizer with the Chicago Coalition Against Racism and Political Oppression.
It is unclear whether the conference will attract far-right extremists who strongly support former President Donald Trump.
Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge Derek Meyer said last week that there were no specific security threats against the conference.
Is Chicago ready?
The conference will attract 50,000 people to the country’s third largest city, including delegates, activists and journalists.
The city says it has made the necessary arrangements with the police and Secret Service. Security will be tight as streets will be closed around the convention center.
City leaders are coming up with something new to tackle traffic woes $80 million train station Steps from United Center. They have tried to beautify the city with newly planted flowers and new signs. Even city leaders Removed a nearby homeless camp.
Police were trained Regarding constitutional policing, county courts say they are opening more spaces in anticipation of mass arrests and hospitals near security zones strengthening emergency preparedness.
But some have lingering security concerns, worried that protests could become unpredictable or chaotic.
“We’re going to make sure people have their First Amendment rights protected and they can do it in a safe way,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
Hai Tharman, an activist who protested against this, was arrested The infamous 1968 convention. The 74-year-old now lives in Alabama but plans to come to Chicago to protest the war in Gaza.
“It’s very personal to me,” he said. “I see parallels.”
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