Democratic National Convention – Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com Get Chicago news and Illinois news from The Chicago Tribune Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:00:51 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/favicon.png?w=16 Democratic National Convention – Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com 32 32 228827641 United to add 118 Chicago flights for the DNC https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/11/united-118-chicago-flights-dnc/ Tue, 11 Jun 2024 20:19:15 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=17281723 United Airlines is adding 118 flights to and from Chicago in August, as the city gears up for the Democratic National Convention and the tens of thousands of visitors the event is expected to bring to Chicago to mark the renomination of President Joe Biden.

The additional flights from the Chicago-based airline are a boon to O’Hare International Airport, a key economic driver for the city where traffic has lagged pre-pandemic levels.

They bring United, one of O’Hare’s two main carriers, to its largest schedule from O’Hare since 2019, the carrier said. That includes an extra 38 flights between O’Hare and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which serves the District of Columbia. Other additional flights will go to cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Austin, Phoenix, San Diego and Seattle.

All told, the carrier will operate more than 530 flights daily at O’Hare on its busiest days, United said.

The additional flights come as the city prepares for the economic and security impacts of the four-day convention, which is expected to bring a slew of politicians, visitors and protesters in August. The DNC Host Committee estimates the convention could bring about 50,000 visitors, 20,000 media members and 5,500 delegates, alternates and guests to the city.

For its part, United’s preparations at O’Hare bring the amount of scheduled space on flights out of the airport in August to slightly higher than the number of seats scheduled before the pandemic. But overall at O’Hare, airlines have still scheduled fewer flights and fewer seats out of the airport than they did in summer 2019, according to data from aviation firm Cirium.

O’Hare’s other main carrier, American Airlines, hasn’t updated its schedule for the convention, a spokeswoman said. The airline has eight daily flights between Chicago and Reagan National.

Southwest, which is the primary carrier at Midway, also does not plan to add flights for the convention. A spokesman said the airline will have 223 flights a day out of Midway during the convention, including six per day between Midway and Reagan National, and up to six per day between Midway and Baltimore. The airline will also have two daily flights between Baltimore and O’Hare, where the carrier previously announced it was trimming its schedule.

United is also adding 72 flights to and from Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention in July, including from Chicago, the carrier said. The additional flights will increase the carrier’s capacity in Milwaukee by 75%, United said.

“These conventions are steeped in tradition and have now evolved to become a weeklong celebration of our political process,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, in a statement. “We’re proud to give people even more options to visit two great cities, and participate in these historic events and make their voices heard.”

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17281723 2024-06-11T15:19:15+00:00 2024-06-12T08:00:51+00:00
‘This will not be 1968.’ Chicago police prepare for DNC as whole world watches once again. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/09/this-will-not-be-1968-chicago-police-prepare-for-dnc-as-whole-world-watches-once-again/ Sun, 09 Jun 2024 10:00:04 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=17274585 It’s not 1968.

But after anti-war, pro-Palestinian demonstrations roiled college campuses this spring and led to clashes between protesters and police, the specter of the chaos surrounding that summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago looms as the party returns in August to mark the renomination of President Joe Biden.

To be sure, the landscape is vastly different than it was in the late 1960s, even amid resurgent political violence driven predominantly by the far right. Nevertheless, the influx of potentially tens of thousands of protesters into Chicago during the Aug. 19-22 convention, some of whom have vowed to take to the streets without city permits, raises questions about how prepared Chicago police are for any ensuing unrest.

While similar concerns arose ahead of the last Chicago DNC in 1996, as well as the NATO summit in 2012, divisions among the Democratic coalition are deeper this year, with progressives upset over Biden’s ongoing support for Israel in its war against Hamas as well as his recent order clamping down on migrant crossings at the southern border.

Policing has changed substantially over the past several decades, especially for large gatherings such as national political conventions.

Still, with the whole world watching Chicago once again, avoiding any echoes of 1968 — when blue-helmeted officers beat protesting Yippies and working journalists alike in what a government report later termed a “police riot” — will be an important test for a department that remains under a federal consent decree over its long-running “pattern and practice” of civil rights violations.

In the lead-up to this year’s convention, organizers and police officials have downplayed concerns about possible unrest and sought to dispel any comparisons to the events that culminated in the infamous “Battle of Michigan Avenue.”

“This will not be 1968,” said Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling while acknowledging he understands the comparison given national protests of the Israel-Hamas war. “Our response as a Chicago Police Department will be a lot more deliberate … a lot more controlled because our officers are being trained in the best way possible to respond to any level of civil unrest.”

  • While the convention was in Chicago, police officers and anti-war...

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    While the convention was in Chicago, police officers and anti-war protesters clashed in downtown Chicago and in Lincoln Park, shown here, during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

  • Protesters lob back tear gas canisters thrown by Chicago police...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Protesters lob back tear gas canisters thrown by Chicago police in Grant Park in 1968.

  • Police hold an anti-war protester over the hood of a...

    Chicago Tribune

    Police hold an anti-war protester over the hood of a car in front of the Conrad Hilton in 1968.

  • The National Guard confronts anti-war protesters in Chicago during the...

    Walter Kale / Chicago Tribune

    The National Guard confronts anti-war protesters in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in August 1968. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)

  • Anti-war protesters march outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Anti-war protesters march outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago while the Democratic National Convention was in town in 1968.

  • A young anti-war demonstrator confronts National Guardsmen who formed a...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    A young anti-war demonstrator confronts National Guardsmen who formed a barricade to keep protesters in Grant Park during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968.

  • Felled by a rock thrown from ranks of protesters, a...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Felled by a rock thrown from ranks of protesters, a bystander lies on the ground bleeding from a head wound as other protesters rushed to his aid during the Democratic National Convention rioting in 1968.

  • Tribune photographer Michael Budrys wrote on this historic print that...

    Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune

    Tribune photographer Michael Budrys wrote on this historic print that "Troops arrive to Grant Park and within minutes virtually replace city police. Hippies remain in park singing spiritual songs by sound of strings. Michigan Ave. blocked to traffic by milling people and newsmen from around the globe."

  • Protesters are surrounded by the National Guard at 18th Street...

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    Protesters are surrounded by the National Guard at 18th Street and Michigan Avenue during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 29, 1968.

  • Each night, Chicago police cleared Lincoln Park, where demonstrators during...

    Walter Kale / Chicago Tribune

    Each night, Chicago police cleared Lincoln Park, where demonstrators during the 1968 Democratic National Convention gathered during the day. Sometimes the police used canisters of tear gas, as shown here on Aug. 27, 1968. Sometimes, they used physical force.

  • A disturbance on the floor of the Democratic National Convention...

    Val Mazzenga / Chicago Tribune

    A disturbance on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 28, 1968, in Chicago.

  • A poster from the Democratic National Convention in 1968 in...

    Chicago Tribune historical photo

    A poster from the Democratic National Convention in 1968 in Chicago.

  • A Georgia delegate is grabbed by security after he tried...

    James O'Leary/Chicago Tribune

    A Georgia delegate is grabbed by security after he tried to lift one of the state standards on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 27, 1968, at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.

  • New York delegates finally enter the caucus room at the...

    James OLeary / Chicago Tribune

    New York delegates finally enter the caucus room at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 28, 1968.

  • Demonstrators sleep before the next night's confrontation with police and...

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    Demonstrators sleep before the next night's confrontation with police and guardsmen in 1968. The original caption from the Tribune photographer reads: "This is what the yippees do before their night's activities."

  • Anti-Vietnam War demonstrators march down Michigan Avenue in one of...

    William Yates / Chicago Tribune

    Anti-Vietnam War demonstrators march down Michigan Avenue in one of the peaceful events of the 1968 Democratic National Convention week, which attracted thousands of young protestors to the city. The group of "Yippies" marched outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel, one of two major convention hotels, on Aug. 25, 1968.

  • The Illinois delegation enters the convention hall floor holding Daley...

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    The Illinois delegation enters the convention hall floor holding Daley for president signs Aug. 26, 1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

  • Lights from a fire truck brighten tear gas clouds and...

    Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune

    Lights from a fire truck brighten tear gas clouds and silhouette police officers confronting anti-war protesters in Lincoln Park during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

  • Protesters as well as police braced for trouble during the...

    William Kelly / Chicago Tribune

    Protesters as well as police braced for trouble during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Here, anti-Vietnam War demonstrators gather in Lincoln Park for self-defense lessons on Aug. 20, 1968. The demonstrators were part of the National Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam organization. They held daily self-defense practice.

  • The original caption from photographer Michael Budrys reads, "Some five...

    Michael Budrys / Chicago Tribune

    The original caption from photographer Michael Budrys reads, "Some five thousand hippies infiltrated Grant Park, shouting at police, burning draft cards, and setting off firecrackers. Police stood by like a massive wall, keeping youths off the walk."

  • Fred Susinski, a police cadet, and patrolman Bernard Dorken work...

    William Vendetta / Chicago Tribune

    Fred Susinski, a police cadet, and patrolman Bernard Dorken work the communications equipment at the command post at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago on Aug. 16, 1968. The post coordinated security for the convention.

  • Delegates on the Democratic National Convention floor chant "Stop the...

    John Austad / Chicago Tribune

    Delegates on the Democratic National Convention floor chant "Stop the war" after a speech by Pierre Salinger, President John F. Kennedy's press secretary, on Aug. 28, 1968. Salinger urged adoption of the dove plank on the Vietnam War.

  • Chicago police in position outside the Hilton during the Democratic...

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    Chicago police in position outside the Hilton during the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

  • Demonstrators gather around the General Logan monument in Grant Park...

    John Austad / Chicago Tribune

    Demonstrators gather around the General Logan monument in Grant Park in 1968, to listen to speeches protesting police actions during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

  • Anti-war demonstrators in Grant Park pile up benches as a...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Anti-war demonstrators in Grant Park pile up benches as a barricade in a clash with police, who had moved in to prevent them from tearing down the American flag in 1968.

  • A man is arrested after climbing the Gen. Logan statue...

    File / Chicago Tribune

    A man is arrested after climbing the Gen. Logan statue in Grant Park during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968.

  • Wielding a club, a protester joins others in an attack...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Wielding a club, a protester joins others in an attack upon an unmarked Chicago police car during clashes in Grant Park in 1968.

  • A spectator who apparently was struck Aug. 26, 1968, sits...

    James Mayo / Chicago Tribune

    A spectator who apparently was struck Aug. 26, 1968, sits on the sidelines during a news conference the following day by the National Mobilization Committee, which called for an end to the war in Vietnam.

  • A disturbance on the floor of the Democratic National Convention...

    Val Mazzenga/Chicago Tribune

    A disturbance on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 28, 1968.

  • National Guardsmen, protesters and journalists stand their ground on Michigan...

    Chicago Tribune historical photo

    National Guardsmen, protesters and journalists stand their ground on Michigan Avenue in 1968.

  • Delegates from New York protest on the floor of the...

    Tom Kinahan/Chicago Tribune

    Delegates from New York protest on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 26, 1968.

  • Demonstrators opposed to the Vietnam War picket Aug. 26, 1968,...

    Donald Casper / Chicago Tribune

    Demonstrators opposed to the Vietnam War picket Aug. 26, 1968, outside the Democratic National Convention at the International Amphitheatre. Police barricades keep the proteters across the street. One square mile around the amphitheater was declared a maximum security zone.

  • An injured protester gets aid after being tear-gassed during the...

    Chicago Tribune archvie

    An injured protester gets aid after being tear-gassed during the Democratic National Convention riots in 1968 in Chicago.

  • Anti-war protesters gather in Grant Park surrounded by police during...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    Anti-war protesters gather in Grant Park surrounded by police during the Democratic National Convention rioting in 1968 in Chicago.

  • A TV crew, wearing helmets, on the convention floor at...

    William Kelly / Chicago Tribune

    A TV crew, wearing helmets, on the convention floor at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 29, 1968.

  • People hold signs that say "We love Mayor Daley" on...

    William Yates/Chicago Tribune

    People hold signs that say "We love Mayor Daley" on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 29, 1968, in Chicago.

  • Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, left, and his running mate,...

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    Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, left, and his running mate, Sen. Edmund S. Muskie, stand before Democratic National Convention delegates in 1968 in Chicago.

  • National Guardsmen donned gas masks before confronting anti-war protesters in...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    National Guardsmen donned gas masks before confronting anti-war protesters in Chicago in 1968.

  • A demonstrator injured in a clash with police in Lincoln...

    Chicago Tribune archive

    A demonstrator injured in a clash with police in Lincoln Park is carried from the scene on a stretcher by fellow demonstrators wearing medical armbands in 1968. Protesters set up their own unofficial first-aid stations.

  • Delegates lift their placards for Vice President Hubert Humphrey in...

    Val Mazzanga / Chicago Tribune

    Delegates lift their placards for Vice President Hubert Humphrey in a premature demonstration for the presidential nominee in August 1968.

  • The Illinois delegation prays during opening day of the Democratic...

    Val Mazzenga/Chicago Tribune

    The Illinois delegation prays during opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 26, 1968.

  • A ball of nails thrown by anti-war protesters in Chicago...

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    A ball of nails thrown by anti-war protesters in Chicago during the demonstrations in 1968.

  • A big welcome sign will greet delegates to the 1968...

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    A big welcome sign will greet delegates to the 1968 Democratic National Convention starting at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.

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It’s not just the Police Department that has a lot riding on a peaceful convention.

The political stakes are high, both for Biden as he seeks to again defeat former Republican President Donald Trump and for local Democrats who will play prominent roles at the party gathering and in managing the situation outside.

That’s particularly true for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was pivotal in bringing the convention to Chicago and will use the event to elevate his national profile as a key Biden surrogate and potential future White House contender, as well as Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has perhaps a greater affinity with those planning to protest than with the police under his command who are charged with keeping order.

“If you’re Biden and the Democratic Party and the mayor of Chicago, you just want peace and calm and stability,” said Andrew Baer, a University of Alabama at Birmingham history professor who studies policing and social movements. “You don’t want the bad optics of either suppressing a protest or the protest embarrassing the coronation of Biden.”

Despite changes in both policing practices and the political environment, “there’s clearly a through line from ’68, through the (Cmdr. Jon) Burge era, into the 2000s and up to the present day,” said Baer, author of “Beyond the Usual Beating: The Jon Burge Police Torture Scandal and Social Movements for Police Accountability in Chicago.”

Today, as then, there is a sense among many police of feeling “misunderstood and kind of unnecessarily tampered with” by outside forces, Baer said.

“That degree of always-simmering resentment felt by police rank and file, and the Fraternal Order of Police and the unions, and the supervisors and administrators of the Police Department always makes for a potentially explosive environment, whether it’s at a street arrest or a public protest or national political convention,” he said.

‘2020 snuck up on us’

One need not look all the way back to 1968 to see what can go wrong when hordes of protesters and lines of cops meet in the streets.

Indeed, the training Snelling’s officers have been undergoing ahead of the DNC was spurred not only by Chicago’s selection as the host city but also by the department’s response to widespread civil unrest in 2020.

Officers in Chicago were unprepared for the simultaneous and unpredictable nature of large protests and chaos that erupted over three days after George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in late May of that year. While the department improved its response to other incidents in the weeks that followed, protests over the city’s Christopher Columbus statues and also high-profile police shootings highlighted similar struggles.

“2020 snuck up on us,” Snelling acknowledged in a recent Tribune interview. “Let’s tell the cold, hard truth. We did not have the level of preparedness to deal with something that was that random that popped up on us.”

A Chicago police vehicle burns on North State Street in Chicago's Loop on May 30, 2020, after a rally to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago police vehicle burns on North State Street in Chicago’s Loop on May 30, 2020, after a rally to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The department is applying lessons learned from the 2020 response in preparation for the DNC, Snelling said.

While CPD took issue with some of the findings in a recent inspector general report on policy and training updates since the 2020 unrest, Snelling said any use of force or pepper spray during the DNC would be “proportional” to the reality on the ground.

“We’re not just going to walk in and spray a crowd of people. Even if they’re breaking the law, if they’re peaceful, we’re not going to use OC (pepper) spray,” Snelling said. “Now, if we have an all-out fight, where people are attacking police officers, are attacking each other, and we need to use OC spray, that call will be made by a higher authority based on the totality of circumstances and what’s occurring in the field in that time.”

The situation on the ground should be much different in August for a number of reasons, not least of which is the major role the U.S. Secret Service will play in controlling the areas surrounding the major convention venues, the United Center and McCormick Place.

Like every major party convention since 2000, this summer’s DNC — along with the Republican National Convention a month earlier in Milwaukee — is designated a National Special Security Event, making the Secret Service the lead agency for security planning. Each convention host city also received $75 million from Congress to help cover equipment and other security costs.

“We’ve got a tremendous working relationship with Chicago police, as well as a multitude of other agencies, both local and federal, that will be contributing to this whole-of-government approach that we’re taking,” Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told reporters during a visit last week that included tours of the convention venues.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling discuss security planning and preparations for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago during a press conference at the Secret Service's Chicago field office on June 4, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling discuss security planning and preparations for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago during a news conference at the Secret Service’s Chicago field office on June 4, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Outside the yet-to-be-finalized security zones around the venues, where most if not all the protests are expected to take place, Chicago police will be running the show, however. The convention will come near the end of what are typically more violent summer months as well as after large-scale events like Lollapalooza and the NASCAR street race.

In an effort to relieve some of the tension building ahead of the DNC, lawyers for the Johnson administration indicated in federal court Thursday they were preparing to offer a deal to protesters who’d sued the city over its alleged efforts to block marches within “sight and sound” of the convention venue.

While private negotiations remain ongoing, the city indicated protesters would be offered a “United Center-adjacent route.”

Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, the city will have to manage the movement of an estimated 50,000 delegates, staff and public officials to and from the convention venues south of downtown and on the West Side, in addition to handling security checkpoints and traffic rerouting to accommodate Biden, who is expected to attend the convention on the final day.

Signage is displayed during a walk-through of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Signage is displayed during a walk-through of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

CPD’s task of working with other organizations and maintaining order will come with the city under a national and international spotlight it didn’t have to contend with in 2020 when protests were taking place across the country, said Cara Hendrickson, the former chief of the Illinois attorney general’s public interest division, where she helped negotiate the consent decree.

“The way CPD and other law enforcement agencies respond will be very visible to Chicagoans and the world,” she said. “It’s a very public test of law enforcement’s current ability to keep people safe.”

Trying to assure the public

Despite assurances of readiness from the top brass, one veteran CPD supervisor, speaking on a condition of anonymity for concern of reprisal, gave a blunt assessment of the department’s readiness to tamp down on summer gun violence on top of its DNC responsibilities.

“Our strategy is eight hours ahead, right?” the supervisor told the Tribune in mid-May. “It’s very short-term and there’s no long-term planning to this, but if you ask them then they’ll say there is, but they won’t tell you what.”

In 1968, of course, Mayor Richard J. Daley also sought to assure the public and his fellow Democrats the situation in Chicago would be under control, though he focused more on maintaining order than allowing room for dissenting voices.

That year’s gathering at the International Amphitheatre in the New City neighborhood came amid widespread protests over the Vietnam War, a backlash so strong that President Lyndon Johnson chose not to seek reelection. It also came just months after the assassination of Democratic presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy and violent uprisings that April in Chicago and elsewhere in the wake of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

Incensed over criticism of his police, Mayor Richard J. Daley shouts at the lectern at the Democratic Convention on Aug. 28, 1968. Tumult inside the Amphitheatre and violence in Grant Park put the nation's leading convention city off limits for political parties for nearly 30 years. (Val Mazzanga/Chicago Tribune)
Incensed over criticism of his police, Mayor Richard J. Daley shouts at the lectern at the Democratic Convention on Aug. 28, 1968. Tumult inside the International Amphitheatre and violence in Grant Park put the nation’s leading convention city off limits for political parties for nearly 30 years. (Val Mazzanga/Chicago Tribune)

“Leading in, Daley was talking about how he was going to uphold law and order in Chicago,” said Heather Hendershot, a Northwestern University communications professor and author of the recent book “When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America.”

While Daley was “Mr. Democrat,” his rhetoric echoed that of GOP nominee Richard Nixon, whose campaign capitalized on the ensuing disorder in Chicago to win in November, Hendershot said.

“(Daley) sent out this message that, ‘We are prepared to do whatever we have to do to maintain order in Chicago. We will keep our city safe,’ this kind of thing,” she said. “And people knew there was going to be a lot of violence, and it really scared a lot of people away.”

The result was a crowd of only about 10,000 predominantly white protesters during the 1968 DNC, Hendershot said, a group that was outnumbered by police and members of the National Guard.

Police hold an anti-war protester over the hood of a car in front of the Conrad Hilton in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention. (Chicago Tribune archive)
Police hold an anti-war protester over the hood of a car in front of the Conrad Hilton in 1968 during the Democratic National Convention. (Chicago Tribune archive)

The protests this year could be substantially larger, Hendershot said, pointing to the more than 100,000 people who protested President George W. Bush and the Iraq War during the 2004 RNC in New York.

Somewhat encouraging, though, is that this year Johnson and police officials are “not releasing a bunch of press releases to scare people or to say, ‘We’re going to have law and order,’” she said. “They will occasionally say something like, ‘We will engage in constitutional policing, which, obviously, is what all policing should be.”

‘Whac-A-Mole’

But what policing should be doesn’t always match reality when officers are confronted with large groups of protesters in unpredictable settings.

The George Floyd protests in 2020 created a no-win for cops, protesters and nearby businesses, according to three separate reports — CPD’s own after-action report, a scathing probe by the city’s inspector general, and a 464-page special report covering the summer’s incidents from the independent monitoring team responsible for tracking the city’s progress in the court-ordered consent decree.

Cops were left vulnerable, exhausted and under-resourced, in part because the department had not prepared for that scale of unrest since 2012, when Chicago hosted the NATO summit.

Officers struggled to control disorganized crowds and distinguish between protesters protected under the First Amendment and those responsible for looting, vandalism or assaulting cops. Many cops were deployed without protective gear, radios or bullhorns to communicate dispersal orders. At times, equipment failed in the field during lengthy shifts. Some cops were left without adequate or timely transportation to transfer arrestees or move other cops to a place to rest, use restrooms, eat or drink.

People attempt to breech a police line at Ohio and State streets in Chicago's Near North neighborhood on May 29, 2020, in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
People attempt to breech a police line at Ohio and State streets in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood on May 29, 2020, in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

One officer described the department’s strategy during the George Floyd protests as Whac-A-Mole, with self-guided platoons of officers putting out metaphorical fires while still leaving others smoldering.

Accountability measures lapsed as well. Some officers were unfamiliar with the department’s mass arrest policies, resulting in some arrestees suspected of looting, arson or violence being released or having charges dropped. Some officers also covered or removed their name tags or badges, turned off their body-worn cameras, were deployed without them or had the camera batteries die on them in the field.

The independent monitoring team reported hearing from community members that “officers were verbally abusive toward them; pushed and shoved them; tackled them to the ground; pushed them down stairs; pulled their hair; struck them with batons, fists, or other nearby objects; hit them after they were ‘kettled’ with nowhere to go or after being handcuffed; and sprayed them with pepper spray (OC spray) without reason.”

Misconduct settlements stemming from the protests have been costly for taxpayers.

On top of tens of millions spent on overtime and damage to local businesses, a WTTW analysis found the city had paid $5.6 for settlements and attorney fees. As of April, 32 lawsuits related to officer misconduct had been paid out. Thirteen were pending in federal court.

Following 2020, CPD has been “training, working, preparing, revising orders,” and working with parties involved in the consent decree to update mass arrest and use of force policies, Snelling said. The department is also working to ensure officers “get as much time off as possible” in the weeks leading up to the DNC to ensure “we have the maximum manpower that we can have out there” while not pulling officers from the city’s most violent neighborhood beats.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling talks with the media as the Chicago Police Department trains at McCormick Place, on June 6, 2024, in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in August. The officers at the training session are among 2,500 officers who will be on the front lines during the DNC. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling talks with the media as the Chicago Police Department trains at McCormick Place, on June 6, 2024, in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in August. The officers at the training session are among 2,500 officers who will be on the front lines during the DNC. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Command staff members have been through “multiple days of training for field force operations” to know how to guide manpower. The department has set aside 1,370 “flex” body cameras across several area offices, purchased 40 passenger vans, and additional radios to distribute to each police district.

Lessons of 2020

Even so, the city’s inspector general recently highlighted shortcomings in those plans, including opaque written policies about the use of pepper spray and kettling, which is the act of corralling crowds into a closed space. The city’s crowd-control policies also contain “outdated” theories that assume bad actors are present and that people in mass gatherings are inclined to act like a mob, the IG said.

Snelling denied the department used kettling tactics but nonetheless said the lessons of 2020 are being applied to this summer’s preparations.

DNC training has already been tested at protests, including at several college campuses across the city, Snelling said, noting that most “ended with no violence.”

“Even in situations where we’ve had to make arrests, we gave these people multiple, multiple opportunities to voluntarily comply and leave,” Snelling said. “Only as a last resort we made arrests.”

CPD on Thursday invited members of the press to McCormick Place to observe about 150 officers take part in training exercises tailored for the expected protests and potential unrest during the DNC. Drills focused on defensive tactics, crowd control and medical aid, as well as officer wellness.

Chicago Police Department offers a first look into how officers train at McCormick Place, on June 6, 2024, in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in August. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Police Department offers a look into how officers train at McCormick Place, on June 6, 2024, in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in August. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Snelling said the department also will use a “line relief” tactic to provide cops reprieves when needed.

“These are human beings who are standing out here, having insults hurled at them, probably things thrown at them,” Snelling said Thursday. “At some point, the human nature kicks in and the possibility or the likelihood of making a mistake becomes greater. This is why now we have that line relief where we can take those officers off the front line and bring in a fresh batch of officers who can deal with the situation.”

Given the possibility of mass arrests, officers also are receiving training on properly processing suspects taken into custody in potentially volatile situations.

Will there be mass arrests?

But some planning to protest the convention are taking issue with comments Snelling made at a separate media briefing earlier last week.

“First Amendment protection is only there if you’re not committing a crime,” Snelling said. “You can be acting out peacefully and still breaking the law.”

Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said after a court hearing Thursday that Snelling’s words were “very concerning.”

“This sounds like nothing more than a threat from a police department that has a history of violence against protesters,” said Abudayyeh, whose group is one of the organizations suing the city over its previous plans to keep protesters away from the main convention sites.

Hatem Abudayyeh, U.S. Palestinian Community Network National Chairman, holds a press conference outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 6, 2024, after a status hearing in federal court concerning the fight for a permit to march within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Hatem Abudayyeh, U.S. Palestinian Community Network National Chairman, holds a news conference outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 6, 2024, after a status hearing in federal court concerning the fight for a permit to march within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Civil liberties advocates also have taken issue with the department’s latest policy on mass arrests. In April, a coalition of the community groups that triggered the consent decree asked the judge overseeing the agreement to block the Police Department from implementing the mass arrest policy drafted earlier this year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and other groups argue the new proposal is overly broad, fails to make proper accommodations for people with disabilities and non-English speakers, and marks a step back from a First Amendment policy negotiated after the “violent and unconstitutional response” to the 2020 protests, according to the filing.

The groups are asking Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer to intervene swiftly because “CPD officers are already being trained on the infirm policy for the DNC.”

Meanwhile, Hendrickson, now the executive director of the public interest group Impact for Equity, notes that police leaders will have the complex task of not only coordinating with other city departments but other law enforcement entities.

CPD “is going to be called upon to make difficult judgment calls rapidly, in real time, over the course of many days or weeks. And understanding who has responsibility for making those decisions, who is the backup to the person who has the responsibility to make those decisions if they’re not available. … I don’t know the answers to those questions at this point,” Hendrickson said.

Snelling said plans are still being worked out for the role outside agencies — the National Guard, the Cook County sheriff’s office, Illinois State Police or other local police departments — would play, but said they would not be charged with managing crowds.

“We want to put them in other areas where they can protect certain venues,” he said. “That frees up Chicago police officers who have been very well trained to go out there and deal with the possibility of civil unrest.”

‘We’re ready’

If the past is precedent, Johnson — an organizer who has said he values demonstrations — would be directly in charge of making major decisions on how to respond to potential unrest.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot made the final call to raise downtown bridges, use pepper spray, enact a citywide curfew, and call in the National Guard during the 2020 protests. Johnson has repeatedly said violence or vandalism would not be tolerated, but has emphasized “the fundamental right of our democracy, the First Amendment, is protected.”

Protesters stand on the Wabash Avenue bridge as bridges to the west are lifted to prevent movement of people during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, in the Loop on May 30, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters stand on the Wabash Avenue bridge as bridges to the west are lifted to prevent movement of people during a rally and march in Chicago’s Loop on May 30, 2020, to remember the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Snelling said he is in “constant contact” about preparations with Johnson and his deputy mayor for community safety, Garien Gatewood. Raising bridges and enacting curfews in 2020 were a response to riot activity, not protected First Amendment protests, he said.

“We will not allow people to come here and destroy our city,” Snelling said. “We’re ready. We’re prepared to deal with whatever comes our way. But we would love for everything to end peacefully. Do we expect that that’s going to happen? No. That’s our wish.”

On the political side, Democrats have been quick to voice their support for Chicago police and the larger security effort — and to shift the focus to the GOP convention in Milwaukee, which could attract some of the same right-wing groups that instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Democratic National Convention Committee declined to make convention chair Minyon Moore available for an interview. But in a statement, convention spokeswoman Emily Soong echoed what organizers have been saying for months in response to questions about protests and possible disruptions:

“Peaceful protest has been a fixture of political conventions for decades, and while Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans stoke political violence, we will continue to support the ongoing security coordination at all levels of government to keep the city safe for delegates, visitors, media, and all Chicagoans, including those exercising their right to make their voices heard.”

For Pritzker, who courted the convention before the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel sparked a war that has divided Democrats, the gathering is a chance to show his mettle on the national stage, said Chris Mooney, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

That will be particularly true in the face of possible mass protests, he said.

“Even though he … didn’t expect this, didn’t think of it when he was lobbying for this (convention), he has earned himself the opportunity to show how excellent he is as a public leader,” Mooney said.

Chicago Tribune’s Jake Sheridan contributed. 

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17274585 2024-06-09T05:00:04+00:00 2024-06-10T06:17:08+00:00
City poised to offer DNC protesters route near United Center https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/06/city-poised-to-offer-dnc-protesters-route-near-united-center/ Thu, 06 Jun 2024 18:25:55 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=17271148 Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is poised to offer protesters at the Democratic National Convention a route near the United Center to potentially settle a federal lawsuit claiming the city of Chicago is violating protesters’ First Amendment rights by blocking plans to march within “sight and sound” of the convention hall.

The development was revealed at a hearing Thursday in the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which is seeking an injunction blocking the city from confining protesters to places far from the convention site in Grant Park.

A lawyer for the city told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood that city officials have now received enough information from the U.S. Secret Service that the Johnson administration will be able to propose a “United Center-adjacent route to the plaintiffs in this case,” though details were still being worked out behind the scenes.

The route will be usable “by multiple groups” who have applied for permits to protest near the United Center, said Chicago Law Department attorney Andrew Worseck.

One of the main issues has been the Secret Service’s security plan for the United Center, where along with McCormick Place much of the convention activity will occur, and particularly what exactly the security perimeter around the United Center will be, Worseck said. He said the Secret Service is “still in the middle of its planning process,” and further details about the security plan were not revealed in court.

Wood granted additional time for briefing on the motion for a preliminary injunction, given the parties are “engaged in a good faith effort to try and resolve the matter” short of a ruling.

But she also warned that time was of the essence, and offered to help in the negotiations if need be.

“Obviously there is time sensitivity here,” Wood said. “The convention is set in stone — that date is not going to change.”

The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Chris Williams, said his clients welcomed the judge’s input but said both sides could “give it a shot” on their own first.

Wood set a status hearing for June 25.

After the hearing, Williams told reporters in Federal Plaza that he thinks “the city is feeling a lot of pressure to resolve this case” because their Grant Park proposal is a clear violation of free speech rights, which trump any city ordinance and allow for political speech to reach a “target audience.”

“That target audience will be at the United Center, including the president of the United States, the vice president and other dignitaries from the Democratic Party,” Williams said during a news conference that included the plaintiffs and 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez. “They will not be on Columbus Drive four miles away on a tree-lined street.”

Williams also said the Johnson administration is only increasing the potential for unrest by trying to curtail protesters’ First Amendment rights.

“You have a recipe for a clash,” Williams said. “You have the potential for violence. You have the potential for abuse by the police. You have the potential for lawsuits against the city. And if a court later upholds that it was First Amendment speech, guess who’s on the hook? The city and all of the taxpayers of the city.”

After the Tribune asked the mayor’s office for comment, a Law Department spokeswoman responded by email saying the city had “nothing more to add” at this point.

The lawsuit was one of at least two filed in U.S. District Court earlier this year after the city blocked protest permits requested near the United Center, which will serve as the convention hall for the DNC. The denials came despite Johnson’s promises that demonstrators will have a fair platform and security. Instead, the city has so far offered each group the same two-block route through Grant Park — a proposal the groups allege doesn’t fulfill their right to be within “sight and sound” of the convention.

“The tens of thousands of people that are coming — not only from the Midwest, but all across the country — will be marching on the DNC, permit or not,” Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said at a news conference in April. Abudayyeh also said the group hopes to “make life miserable” for top congressional and White House Democrats.

The plaintiff’s memorandum filed earlier this week specifically mentioned the desire to protest President Joe Biden’s policies regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Those protest plans could not be fulfilled with an off-site march, the plaintiffs argued.

“The plaintiffs seek to direct their political speech through peaceful marches to the president of the United States, the one person who could stop the suffering in Gaza with a single phone call, while he (is) at the DNC,” the filing stated. “(City officials), relying on its parade permit ordinance, have unconstitutionally denied plaintiffs and their members’ (the) right to engage in political speech through peaceful assembly on public forums, thereby violating their First Amendment rights.”

A second federal lawsuit filed by a consortium of activist groups is seeking a similar preliminary injunction against the city for denying a permit to protest on North Michigan Avenue during the convention. U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin is helping both sides attempt to negotiate an agreement behind the scenes.

At the news conference after Thursday’s court hearing, Abudayyeh said he was “optimistic” that a resolution in his case could be reached, but added they will “continue to put pressure on the mayor’s office to make sure we get within sight and sound (of the United Center).”

He expressed alarm over comments earlier this week by Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling, who told reporters at a briefing on convention security that thousands of officers were undergoing specialized training to “respond directly to civil unrest and the possibility of riots.”

“First Amendment protection is only there if you’re not committing a crime,” Snelling said. “You can be acting out peacefully and still breaking the law.”

Abudayyeh said Snelling’s words were “very concerning” and signaled a sort of “mass arrest policy” being put in place.

“This sounds like nothing more than a threat from a Police Department that has a history of violence against protesters,” Abudayyeh said.

The lawsuit alleges protest ordinances require the city to offer an alternative protest route with similar visibility, timing and location when it rejects a protest permit application. But city representatives have not met with protesters to negotiate routes and have instead suggested groups seeking permits could face legal penalties for making duplicative applications, according to the suit.

The city has repeatedly argued in administrative court hearings that Chicago does not have enough police to protect the event, keep protesters in check and regulate traffic, records show.

Meanwhile, demonstrators have long signaled their aim to disrupt the convention, chasing after host committee Executive Director Christy George for months.

As George led a first-look United Center tour for media in January, a handful of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outside.

In early February, her talk show appearance at The Hideout was repeatedly interrupted as more pro-Palestinian activists unfurled banners and flags. Weeks later, as she chatted inside the Union League Club, a 100-strong group rallied on the sidewalk to demand Democrats commit to spending federal money to solve Chicago’s homelessness issue.

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17271148 2024-06-06T13:25:55+00:00 2024-06-06T18:12:02+00:00
CPD stresses readiness for Democratic National Convention as Secret Service boss visits Chicago https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/04/cpd-stresses-readiness-for-democratic-national-convention-as-secret-service-boss-visits-chicago/ Tue, 04 Jun 2024 16:41:12 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=17265990 As the Democratic National Convention draws closer, leaders of the Chicago Police Department and United States Secret Service on Tuesday again sought to highlight their preparation efforts ahead of the August convention that’s sure to attract thousands of protesters.

“With two months left until the convention, we’re finalizing plans and making sure all of our operations are safe,” CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters ahead of a meeting with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. “Make no mistake, we are ready. The partnership, collaboration and open communication between everyone involved is why we are ready.”

Cheatle at the news conference touted the links between her agency and CPD.

“We’ve got a tremendous working relationship with Chicago police, as well as a multitude of other agencies, both local and federal, that will be contributing to this whole-of-government approach that we’re taking” with the DNC, Cheatle said Tuesday.

The Secret Service will be in charge of security at the United Center and McCormick Place, where the official DNC events will be held. CPD will retain its jurisdiction across the city and be tasked with handling the expected protests. Other law enforcement agencies — FBI, ATF, Illinois State Police, Cook County sheriff’s police — will also assist.

Cheatle conceded that traveling in and around the downtown area will be more of a challenge for residents and those trying to get to work, but added that the Secret Service has conducted “an extraordinary amount of outreach with the local community and we’ve made very sure that the footprint that we have for security is as minimal an impact to residents, businesses (and) neighborhoods as possible.”

In recent months, Snelling has said repeatedly that CPD officers are undergoing First Amendment training to ensure safety and protect the rights of any demonstrators. Criminal activity, though, won’t be tolerated.

“We want people to express their rights safely and responsibly and we will protect them, but we are not going to tolerate crime, violence and vandalism,” Snelling said. “We will always protect our city we are ready and we will continue to be ready as we head into August.”

The superintendent added that between 2,500 and 3,000 CPD officers are receiving extra training to respond to potential civil unrest and protests. Extended shifts and canceled days off for officers are a near certainty too.

Along with the DNC, the department also faces the annual uptick in violence that Chicago sees each summer, though shooting levels are down so far this year. Over Memorial Day weekend, the city recorded nine homicides while more than three dozen others suffered nonfatal gunshot wounds.

 

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17265990 2024-06-04T11:41:12+00:00 2024-06-04T12:56:29+00:00
Chicago watchdog warns Police Department crowd management training ‘insufficient’ ahead of DNC https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/30/chicago-watchdog-warns-police-department-crowd-management-training-insufficient-ahead-of-dnc/ Thu, 30 May 2024 19:35:09 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15971235 With less than three months until thousands of delegates and protesters arrive for the Democratic National Convention, the city’s watchdog agency released a report Thursday that warns the Chicago Police Department’s training and policies to manage crowds “are insufficient and may increase the risk of infringement of lawful demonstrators’ constitutional rights.”

While the report from Inspector General Deborah Witzburg acknowledged several of the department’s strides — improving its written policies and procedures after the fumbled response to unrest in 2020 — it highlighted a lack of community input in those policies and “outdated concepts and tactics” in CPD’s plans to manage crowds.

CPD officials shot back that the report is “based only on documents” and did not include interviews or observation of training sessions in advance of the DNC. The Police Department disagreed with several findings, arguing it had worked with the parties overseeing compliance with the consent decree to put those updated policies together.

Thursday’s 50-page inquiry follows up on a scathing 2021 review of the department’s actions during the unrest in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.

That report found CPD “was under-equipped and unprepared to respond to the scale of the protests” and “identified failures within intelligence assessment, major event planning, field communication and operation, administrative systems, and, most significantly, from CPD’s senior leadership.”

That lack of preparedness endangered cops and protesters and allowed some of those accused of serious crimes to evade arrest or accountability, the review and CPD’s own after-action report concluded.

In May 2020, as looting and violence flared up across the city, the Police Department designated a parking lot near Guaranteed Rate Field as its “mobilization center.” Resources for officers were far from adequate, though.

Cops were ordered to start their tours of duty at the parking lot instead of their normal district station, hindering them from picking up certain pieces of equipment. As many as four officers had to share a single radio, and none of the officers assigned to the mobilization center had a body-worn camera — “a must” for the 2024 DNC, police Superintendent Larry Snelling told the Tribune Thursday.

CPD leaders at the mobilization center didn’t have a roster of personnel assigned to be there, so they relied on rank-and-file cops to form their own “platoons” to be dispatched across the city. One CPD deputy chief said the command structure in the parking lot was “sketchy.”

In the four years since, the IG acknowledged CPD improved its planning with other city departments to respond to large-scale events, practiced for those events and beefed up its inventory of cameras, encrypted radios and passenger vans to transport officers during emergencies.

“There’s better infrastructure in place for a coordinated city response, interdepartmental plans, clarity in the new proposed policies around mass arrest procedures and use of force reporting,”  Witzburg told the Tribune. “I also think there are some areas of concern, candidly.”

For one, the department is already training members on policies while it is still gathering community input, she said. The department also “lacks comprehensive guidance” for roll calls during a mass event — where the department should be communicating clear and consistent information to cops about to take to the street, Witzburg said.

The report says some of the city’s training materials related to crowd responses rely on old theories from the 1960s and 1990s that assume crowds have a tendency to affect individuals negatively and can lead to conflictual or criminal behavior. That belief — along with an assumption that bad actors are present — can risk “inducing or escalating” CPD’s response, the report said. More updated theories caution that police response can trigger people in the crowd to act more resistant and disorderly.

CPD’s guidance also “continues to permit the use of OC spray on passive resistors in a mass gathering setting,” she said, while other departments, like Philadelphia, “have very explicit guidance” that pepper spray “shall not be used” in a First Amendment gathering against “passive resistors.”

Department policy also lacks specifics about when the department can use corralling tactics sometimes known as kettling, Witzburg said. “Neither do they say that they are prohibited, nor do they offer guidance on when they might be permitted,” she said.

“We don’t do kettling,” Snelling said. The department uses “encirclement” to either rescue someone injured within a crowd or apprehend a target of arrest, he said.

“When we have a group of peaceful protesters who are sitting, and even if they’re breaking the law, we do not spray those people. … We have a different way of removing those people without using that level of force,” Snelling said. “If we have an all-out fight where people are attacking police officers or attacking each other and we need to use OC (pepper) spray, that call will be made by a higher authority based on the totality of circumstances and what’s occurring in the field.”

CPD’s response also said department training — including a recent course from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — includes the more updated and nuanced crowd behavior theories.

In 2020, the IG found cops were deployed without cameras, covered them up, had cameras with batteries run low or depleted after being deployed for so long, or didn’t turn them on, “leaving member-civilian interactions to go unrecorded or unreported.” That meant identifying cops accused of misconduct or corroborating conflicting narratives “were severely compromised,” the IG found. In some cases, cops couldn’t pick up cameras from their home districts.

Since then, the department has set aside 1,370 “flex” body cameras across several area offices and purchased 40 passenger vans. In 2020, several cop cars were smashed or had their tires slashed, stranding officers or making it difficult to transport arrestees.

At an unrelated news conference Thursday, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he had not seen the report but said the city “is committed to constitutional policing.”

“Look, we’re still assessing and reviewing all of our safety provisions and plans for the DNC. And again, keep in mind, we’re going to work with the Secret Service and other local law enforcement agencies to ensure a peaceful but yet energetic convention,” Johnson said. “I’m confident that we’ll be prepared and ready when the day comes.”

Tribune reporter Alice Yin contributed.

aquig@chicagotribune.com

scharles@chicagotribune.com

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15971235 2024-05-30T14:35:09+00:00 2024-05-30T16:48:39+00:00
DNC in Chicago will lose some luster as Democrats plan to virtually nominate President Joe Biden before convention https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/28/dnc-in-chicago-will-lose-some-luster-as-democrats-plan-to-virtually-nominate-president-joe-biden-before-convention/ Tue, 28 May 2024 19:53:15 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15965594 Less than three months before the Democratic National Convention comes to Chicago, the event is already losing a significant portion of its celebratory luster as national Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to virtually nominate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris before the convention to comply with ballot access laws in the crucial swing state of Ohio.

Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Tuesday that state delegations will convene virtually before Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline for presidential candidates to be certified for that state’s ballot.

Signage is displayed during a walkthrough of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Signage is displayed during a walkthrough of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The Ohio deadline is 12 days before the DNC is scheduled to open its doors on Aug. 19 at the United Center and McCormick Place for its quadrennial convention, leading up to what was to have been the traditional roll call of the states and the celebratory renomination of the president.

Chicago convention organizers said Biden and Harris will still attend the event to “celebrate” and accept their nominations before thousands of delegates at the United Center who will be attending their first in-person political convention in eight years.

The new virtual nomination, a remote process used to nominate Biden during the COVID-19 attendance-restricted 2020 convention, will be held after meetings of the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee to implement the change. The committee’s vote is scheduled for June 4.

The national Democrats’ decision to move ahead with the pre-convention nomination came after Republican state lawmakers in Ohio repeatedly failed to shift the ballot access date, as has been done in the past for both parties. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine had called the Republican-dominated legislature into special session to address the issue, but Democrats said GOP state lawmakers have impeded the process by trying to attach other measures that would make it more difficult to advance citizen-driven initiatives onto the state ballot.

Former President Donald Trump’s ballot access in Ohio was not in jeopardy since his anticipated nomination is set for the July 15-18 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, well in advance of the Ohio ballot deadline.

“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own,” Harrison said in a statement.

“Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice,” Harrison said.

Trump defeated Biden in Ohio 53%-45% in 2020 after defeating Hillary Clinton there by 51% to 43% in 2016. The state has 17 electoral votes at stake.

Despite Republican advantages at the Ohio statehouse, Democrats have been successful in putting initiative-driven proposals on the ballot. That includes Democrats overcoming GOP efforts last year to block the ratification of a state constitutional amendment enshrining a right to abortion. Democrats have used the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade as a major campaign theme against Republicans.

“Democrats will not trade Ohioans’ ability to hold their government accountable for presidential ballot access. Just like when they attempted to take away our rights and freedoms last year,” Liz Walters, the state’s Democratic chair, said in a statement. “Ohio Republicans have shown their blatant disregard for the rights of voters, and we won’t let them get away with another effort to hold our democracy hostage.”

As was the case when Chicago last hosted the DNC in 1996, whether to renominate a sitting president — Bill Clinton then and Joe Biden now — is not an issue for convention delegates. Biden easily won Democratic primaries across the country this year without any significant opposition.

The decision to move forward with a virtual nomination comes as Democratic convention planners had earlier indicated they wanted to import more live remote programming into the United Center event by using techniques from the 2020 convention when COVID-19 curtailed many traditional convention hall activities. That included the possibility of revisiting the 2020 roll call of the 57 states and territories casting their nominating ballots from remote locations.

Officials said no final decisions on the convention’s programming, such as a symbolic roll call, have been made.

But with their formal nominations of Biden and Harris a fait accompli prior to the actual August convention events, DNC organizers will be looking for ways to try to energize a crowd of delegates in an in-person show of unity leading to and including Biden’s acceptance speech. Organizers also face an even greater emphasis to find more creative ways to sell the president’s campaign message before the Nov. 5 election.

“We are excited to welcome delegates and guests to Chicago where President Biden and Vice President Harris will celebrate their nominations from the United Center and address the American people using beloved elements of conventions past while building on the success of our innovative 2020 programming,” said Emily Soong, a Democratic National Convention spokesperson.

In a statement, the Democratic National Committee said that “in spite of Republicans’ bad-faith efforts to stand in the way, the in-person convention in Chicago will continue to serve as an important convening event for Democrats across the country.”

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15965594 2024-05-28T14:53:15+00:00 2024-05-29T06:17:42+00:00
Democrats plan to nominate President Joe Biden by virtual roll call before DNC in Chicago https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/28/biden-nomination-democratic-presidential-nominee/ Tue, 28 May 2024 18:39:01 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15965402&preview=true&preview_id=15965402 President Joe Biden will be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee through a virtual roll call ahead of the party’s official convention in Chicago in August — a maneuver that will allow Biden to appear on the November ballot in Ohio and also reduce opportunities for disruptions from protesters.

The Democratic National Convention, where the president would otherwise be formally nominated, comes after Ohio’s ballot deadline of Aug. 7. The party’s convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22.

Ohio lawmakers have moved the deadline in the past for candidates of both parties, although they had not done so yet for Biden this year and were called to a rare special session by Gov. Mike DeWine to address the issue.

The virtual proceedings will allow Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to get the party’s formal nod and will be very similar to the process used in 2020, when the convention went virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move also reduces the chances for an unscripted moment during the party’s highly produced Chicago convention that could embarrass Biden — who has faced discontent from some activist members of his party over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza — on live television.

The Democratic National Committee on Tuesday did not say when the virtual roll call will take place, but it is expected in the weeks after the committee’s rules and bylaws committee votes to propose changes to the roll call process. That committee vote is scheduled for June 4.

“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own,” Jaime Harrison, the Democratic National Committee chairman, said in a statement. “Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice.”

Ohio lawmakers, meanwhile, were gathering Tuesday for the special session.

Negotiations between the House and Senate on a solution to Biden’s ballot conundrum began Friday. State Rep. Bill Seitz told reporters during a conference call that he and state Sen. Rob McColley, both Republicans, are leading the talks, with no resolution announced as of Tuesday.

Since Ohio changed its certification deadline from 60 to 90 days ahead of its general election, state lawmakers have had to adjust the requirement twice, in 2012 and 2020, to accommodate candidates of both leading parties. Each change was only temporary.

And the ability of voters to speak directly through the ballot initiative process on questions such as abortion has made reaching a solution more difficult in both chambers, where the GOP has lopsided majorities.

The Senate sent its version of the ballot fix to the House after attaching a prohibition on foreign nationals donating to Ohio ballot campaigns, stopping it in its tracks.

DeWine urged legislators to pass the combination measure during the special session, but Democrats have balked, saying the proposal goes beyond the foreign nationals ban to add requirements intended to make it more difficult to mount future ballot campaigns in the state.

That’s after Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved three ballot measures last year, including a constitutional amendment protecting access to abortions that Republicans opposed and an initiated statute legalizing adult-use marijuana.

A “clean” House bill containing only the adjustment to Ohio’s ballot deadline may also be considered.

Due to differing interpretations of the proclamation DeWine issued Thursday, the Ohio Senate scheduled a single day of activity for Tuesday, while the Ohio House plans to begin with two days of committee hearings before taking its vote Thursday.

A Senate spokesman has said it’s possible the upper chamber can convene Tuesday and then recess to wait for the House.

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15965402 2024-05-28T13:39:01+00:00 2024-05-28T13:54:55+00:00
CTA could provide up to 250 buses for use during the DNC. Will that leave enough for regular bus service? https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/28/cta-dnc-bus-service/ Tue, 28 May 2024 10:00:23 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15948427 The CTA has committed to providing as many as 250 buses for use during the Democratic National Convention this summer, even though the agency has faced staff shortages that led to service cuts in recent years.

The head of the union that represents bus drivers says he anticipates having enough staffing for both the DNC and regular scheduled bus service. But designating buses for the convention has some advocates concerned.

“Pulling CTA operators from their regular routes to a specified task that doesn’t serve all of Chicago is of tremendous concern,” said Kyle Lucas, with the transportation advocacy group Better Streets Chicago. “And what will service look like for everyday people during that time?”

Transportation is just one of the ways the city is likely to feel the effects of the four-day convention, which is expected to bring a slew of politicians, visitors and protesters in August. Though many details about plans for the convention have yet to be publicized, officials have already begun telling residents and downtown businesses to brace for the effects of heightened security around McCormick Place and the United Center, key convention sites.

The CTA has agreed to provide the buses, maintenance staff, drivers and other employees needed to transport convention participants as part of a “secured transit system,” according to a copy of an ordinance approved by the Transit Board. In return, the DNC host committee will pay the CTA $4.24 million if all 250 buses are used.

The designated buses would make up about 13% of the CTA’s roughly 1,900 total buses. And that proportion could be significant, advocates said.

“I think if it’s over 10% (of the fleet) there’s a potential that it could put pressure on the ability to deliver regular service,” said Audrey Wennink, transportation director for the Metropolitan Planning Council.

Already, the CTA has struggled to provide frequent and reliable service as it grapples with a shortage of operators to run buses and trains. By one measurement of service levels, CTA buses were scheduled to drive more than 3.9 million miles in March, down from 4.3 million in March 2020, federal transit data shows.

The CTA has added some 400 bus operators to its staff over the past year and recently added service on some routes. Still, in April the agency was about 120 bus drivers short of 2019 staffing levels, according to CTA data.

The CTA did not answer questions about whether it would have enough staffing and buses to provide both DNC and regular service or how it planned to do so. In a statement, the agency said only that it has committed to providing buses, planning was still underway, and “CTA has a long history of successfully providing supplemental service during special events.”

Keith Hill, president of the union that represents bus drivers, said he expected to be able to meet the CTA’s service plan during the convention. Every CTA garage has a pool of fill-in drivers, known as “extra board,” who can cover summer events, any reroutes, the DNC and regular service, he said.

The CTA is not planning to pull 250 bus drivers from regular service for the entire four days of the convention, he said, adding it’s too early to determine whether the agency will rely on overtime to meet staffing needs.

But in discussions with the CTA, the union said it had an obligation to provide service to the city regardless of the DNC, Hill said.

The CTA also provided buses during the 1996 DNC. That year, the agency caused a stir by pulling up to 100 of its newest, air-conditioned buses from regular service to shuttle credentialed guests between downtown hotels and the United Center during the evening rush, according to Tribune reporting.

This year, extra drivers could help cover the needs of the DNC, and other transportation options could also keep the buses running smoothly, Wennink said. For example, temporary dedicated bus lanes to the United Center could ensure attendees have a smooth experience getting around town.

“If we’re providing all these buses, you’d better make sure they can operate efficiently and not be stuck in traffic,” she said.

Improvements like temporary bus lanes are also a chance to show what the future of transportation in the city could be, Lucas said.

“That would have been a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate how we can move more people quickly and efficiently and to places of high traffic volume,” he said.

The city’s Transportation Department said it was working with the CTA, and local and federal law enforcement, including the Secret Service, on route options for United Center shuttles. More information, including about traffic and parking impacts, will be made public once the security perimeter for the DNC is finalized, the department said.

But some CTA riders will likely see one benefit before the DNC. The long-awaited Damen Green Line station, a little less than half a mile from the United Center, is set to open in July, the Transportation Department said.

The station, which will fill a 1.5-mile gap between stations on the train line, was initially expected to open in 2020. Construction was pushed back several times, and was recently targeted to be finished in the first quarter of this year.

Now, if all goes according to plan, it will be open in time for the DNC.

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15948427 2024-05-28T05:00:23+00:00 2024-05-27T17:06:53+00:00
In possible DNC preview, Gov. J.B. Pritzker mocks ex-President Donald Trump https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/22/in-possible-dnc-preview-gov-j-b-pritzker-mocks-ex-president-donald-trump/ Wed, 22 May 2024 21:32:33 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15953627 Before a captive crowd of national media members in Chicago on Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker heaped scorn upon former President Donald Trump, saying the presumptive GOP presidential nominee is cruel, wants to be a dictator and is “waiting to become the first felon elected president.”

The remarks, made at a media gathering at the United Center in preparation for this August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, hinted at just some of the barbs certain to be aimed at Trump this summer and highlighted the attack-dog surrogate role Pritzker is playing in the 2024 presidential campaign.

The comments also continued to boost Pritzker’s national profile as he underscored Democrats’ efforts to draw a bright line between President Joe Biden’s record and plans for a second term and Trump’s often-tumultuous single term as president.

“It’s a choice between kindness and cruelty, between a president who stands up against hatred and extremism or a candidate who promises to be a dictator and makes excuses for white supremacists who chant, ‘Jews will not replace us,’ ” Pritzker said, citing participants’ shouts during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, an event Trump described as including “very fine people on both sides.”

“It’s a choice between a president who wakes up every morning working to improve the lives of families across this country or a guy who spends all day watching TV or flatulating in a courtroom, waiting to become the first felon elected president,” the governor said, referencing rumors of the ex-president’s behavior during his ongoing hush money trial in New York.

Pritzker was joined by both local and national Democrats who gathered as part of a media walkthrough at the United Center, which along with McCormick Place will serve as the main settings for the Aug. 19-22 gathering. The two-term Illinois governor was instrumental in bringing the DNC to Chicago and he’s expected to use the event to raise his national profile amid speculation he’s eyeing a potential White House bid after 2024.

The Republican convention is being held in July in Milwaukee.

Pritzker even used Biden’s age — something even some Democrats are concerned about — as a rallying point. Biden is 81 and Trump is 77.

“Age isn’t what distinguishes these two candidates from one another,” Pritzker said. “Donald Trump was stupid and ignorant long before he got old.

“The contrast between these two is genuinely stark and I am truly excited to help remind the nation of that in August.”

Among those also on stage were Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn and convention officials.

Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, left, DNC chair Jaime Harrison, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and convention chair Minyon Moore arrive to speak during a walkthrough of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, left, DNC chair Jaime Harrison, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and convention chair Minyon Moore arrive to speak during a walkthrough of the Democratic National Convention on May 22, 2024, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Johnson, who has had a rocky early relationship with the City Hall press corps, told the assembled members of the media that his goal for the convention is “to show off to the rest of the world why the city of Chicago is a beautiful place.”

“I’m looking forward to your collaborative approach to how we can carry that message so that people around the globe will also come to know the truth around why President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris deserve four more years,” Johnson said.

Harrison, who as DNC chair will preside over the convention, said the gathering aims to inspire committed Democrats along with independents and young voters who could be key to a potential Biden victory in November.

“While the Republican convention will be mired in chaos, fear and division, the Democrats will host a hopeful convention, providing all Americans an important moment to celebrate our freedoms and come together as a nation,” Harrison said. “It will be a historic celebration of the work behind us and a preview of the work still to come.”

Despite the Democrats’ efforts to convey messages of hope and unity, however, Biden and the party continue to be dogged by disunity among some core constituencies, particularly over the president’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Both Wednesday’s media preview at the United Center and a Tuesday evening gathering at Garfield Park Conservatory on the West Side drew protesters critical of Biden’s Israel policy. Some of the groups involved have vowed to protest during the DNC without the required permits from the city.

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15953627 2024-05-22T16:32:33+00:00 2024-05-22T16:38:44+00:00
Protesters plan Gaza-focused DNC march, won’t apply for Chicago permit https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/16/protesters-plan-gaza-dnc-march-no-permit/ Thu, 16 May 2024 19:49:10 +0000 https://www.chicagotribune.com/?p=15926741 The organizers of many of Chicago’s biggest pro-Palestinian rallies are planning a march during this summer’s Democratic National Convention — and vowed Thursday not to apply for a city protest permit.

Leaders of the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine held aloft their permit application and ripped it in half outside City Hall, hours after Chicago police cleared a Gaza protest encampment at DePaul University in a confrontation with students there.

Organizers said they had planned to seek approval to hold their march, but the DePaul clash convinced them it was pointless to try to cooperate with city officials.

“CPD messed it up today. So because of that, we are not filing (a permit),” said Nida Sahouri, chair of American Muslims for Palestine Chicago, as she tore the application at a news conference. “We are going to be protesting no matter what.”

The organizers say they will march from the West Loop’s Union Park on the convention’s second-to-last day, Aug. 21, at 4:30 p.m. and walk as close to the convention’s United Center headquarters as possible.

Like other protest groups planning DNC marches, they promise they will bring thousands of demonstrators and move forward with their plans with or without support from the police and city.

The activists blasted the Chicago Police Department for its participation in the early morning action at DePaul, where baton-wielding officers forced out demonstrators who had for weeks occupied a quad encampment in protest against Israel’s war effort in Gaza.

“It is evident that we are not on the same side here,” Students for Justice in Palestine Chicago leader Jenin Alharithi said. “It is a shame that we have gotten to this point, but I have no intention of collaborating with a city that is inherently racist, that bolsters a police state which in turn aids the genocide of my people in Gaza.”

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez joined the City Hall news conference and echoed activists’ criticism, calling the police action at DePaul a First Amendment violation and “a shameful attack on freedom of speech.” He warned that the city could open itself up to lawsuits if it keeps denying protest permits and cracking down on student protests.

“Our government can expect unrest when our government is not following due process and international law,” said Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, who faced a backlash in March for speaking in front of a burnt American flag at another news conference where protest groups called for the DNC to be canceled.

The organizers of the newly planned protest said their ultimate goals are to stop U.S. support of Israel’s war effort in Gaza and to allow for aid to enter the war-torn region. Since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 and killed around 1,200 people there, mostly civilians, seven months of war have killed over 35,000 in Gaza, most of whom are women and children, according to local health officials.

“The DNC is the one chance to convince the national political establishment that they must do everything in their power to protect Palestinian lives, to end apartheid, occupation and genocide in Palestine,” said Mollie Hartenstein, an organizer for Jewish Voice for Peace.

The city has so far rejected at least six DNC protest permit applications, though one group later won a permit after the city failed to respond to an appeal in time, an apparent mistake. The protests involve a mix of groups and interests, with focuses on abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, fighting poverty and opposing the U.S.’s military support of Israel.

Authorities required to offer alternative protest routes have repeatedly proposed demonstrators instead march on a two-block, tree-lined stretch of Columbus Drive in Grant Park. Organizers across the board have criticized that location as too far from the convention’s hotspots, the United Center and McCormick Place, where delegates and top Democrats will congregate and the national media will focus its attention.

The permit denials are likely prompted by federal authorities, said Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. But Mayor Brandon Johnson should nonetheless “make some moves and help” secure march routes close to the United Center, he added.

Johnson has several times marked his support for protest movements, citing his own participation in demonstrations as an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union.

“I’m not here without that movement,” he said in March. “We just want to make sure that it is done in a safe and secure area so that that right to assemble doesn’t get taken over by individuals who may have other interests.”

But the patience of pro-Palestinian protesters appears to be wearing thin as the mayor’s administration continues to deny permits and after the Police Department cleared a student encampment for the second time Thursday.

“We were very, very surprised that this happened this morning. That’s why we are disheartened, that’s why we decided not to apply, because we did not expect that CPD was going to do this,” Sahouri said. “We thought the city of Chicago (was) with us.”

The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine also called for a rally Thursday evening on the DePaul campus in response to police clearing the encampment.

A lack of a DNC protest permit could make it more difficult for police to cooperate with organizers to conduct safety basics, such as blocking streets and keeping ideologically-opposed groups separate.

But Abudayyeh — who previously promised to “make life miserable” for White House Democrats during the DNC while speaking about another protest he is involved in planning — said after months organizing marches on Chicago’s busiest streets, protesters will be safe with or without police support.

“We are essentially a well-oiled protest machine, and we’re not foreseeing any problems,” he said. “We don’t need them for protection.”

The Associated Press contributed.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

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15926741 2024-05-16T14:49:10+00:00 2024-05-16T17:01:32+00:00