Chicago will soon be in the national spotlight when it Democratic National Convention in August, but mainly in the flashiest areas where leaders want to be seen.
The city faces a number of complications: the stubborn problem of violence, the “wild card” of left-wing anti-Israel agitators, crumbling infrastructure, and fears of the infamous clashes that occurred when Chicago hosted the DNC in 1968.
Road and walkway renovations are already underway. And according to a law enforcement source, the plan is to completely isolate the convention area from the rest of the city, with access only for media, law enforcement and DNC representatives.
Chicago police superintendent promises DNC protests won’t be ‘riots like 1968’
This view shows the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, in Chicago on March 10, 2021. The venue is one of two primary locations for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“We will basically never see any protesters or rioters,” the source said. “The convention venues are completely cordoned off. There will be no people there who are not authorized.”
Authorities are also taking strict measures on people living and working in the protected zone, including checking vehicles. Fox 32 Chicago This information was given on Wednesday.
The city already has a 10 p.m. curfew for youth in place for the summer, and some leaders are considering moving it to 8 p.m.
“They want to project an image of peace, harmony and an orderly atmosphere,” Jean Roy said. Chicago Former detective chief and public safety consultant for the Police Department. “They obviously don’t want any negative images to come out, whether it’s of protesters or confrontations with police. So, those who are planning this are doing their best to avoid that.”
Police officers run in formation as the Chicago Police Department offers a first look at officer training in preparation for the Democratic National Convention in August at McCormick Place on June 6, 2024. The officers involved in the training session are among the 2,500 officers who will be on the front lines during the DNC. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
He told Fox News Digital that the two venues chosen for the DNC, the United Center and the McCormick Place Convention Center, would become a highly secure bubble. The city’s problems with violence and unruly youth would be ignored.
“The DNC and all the political people will parachute or helicopter down and it won’t matter to them,” he said. “A few days ago, we had a horrible incident, a 7-year-old kid playing outside his home was shot with an AK-47. It’s horrible.”
DNC to hold 2024 convention in Chicago
He blamed progressive bail reforms, selective prosecution, and lenient sentences for the ongoing struggle with violence.
Police data show that murders have decreased for two consecutive years after a surge in 2020 and 2021, but violent crime, including robberies, has increased in the Windy City. Annual car thefts rose from 9,910 to 29,287 between 2020 and 2023.
“You can’t change the environment in six weeks,” Roy said.
Signage for the Democratic National Convention is displayed at the United Center in Chicago. (Brian Casella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)
Still, workers were at work to repair roads inside and outside the convention areas and replace rusted railings as city leaders continue to prepare for the event, which could see protests from right-wing critics of the Democratic Party and far-left anti-Israel extremists who have been critical of the event. Biden administration Protests are taking place across the country.
“About a month ago, they came and replaced all the guard railings — what a coincidence,” Roy said. “It’s a sham.”
Democratic leaders from the White House to the mayor’s office are hoping to minimize disruptions and avoid a bad image.
With the Chicago Police Department short an estimated 2,000 officers, they are pressing police from the state and surrounding areas to step in through mutual aid so the convention can be secured and the city can fulfill its normal patrol duties.
The McCormick Place Convention Center, one of the venues for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, is located in Chicago. (Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
“There are 2 million people outside of these two little bubbles, and they need 911, they need police,” Roy said. “This is not the fault of the police or the police administration, this is the fault of the city administration, which has systematically allowed police staffing to be underfunded over the years.”
Another ghost is the city’s infamous Democratic National Party Conference in 1968,
This is the year when left-wing protests against the Vietnam War erupted outside the D.N.C. and were met with violent repression. This year, experts worry that anti-Israel agitators who have been blocking city streets may use the convention to draw more attention to their cause. They have already staged protests at convention sites months before the convention begins.
Anti-Israel protesters stand outside the United Center, the venue for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, in Chicago on May 22, 2024. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)
“If they can embarrass Chicago, if they can embarrass the governor, the mayor, the president, they’re happy,” Roy said. “Mission accomplished. They don’t have to score a touchdown with a two-point conversion. A field goal will be enough, and they’ll be satisfied with a field goal.”
The 2020 riots following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody are also fresh in many people’s minds.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in a recent statement Chicago Tribune The editorial said this year’s conference will be free from the chaos seen in 1968 and 2020.
Protesters rally outside an anti-Israel camp demolished by police at DePaul University in Chicago on May 16, 2024. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)
“As I have said repeatedly, if you want to protest and make your voice heard, CPD will protect your right to do so,” he wrote. “But looting, burning property, using violence against innocent people, and attacking police are criminal acts and are not protected by the First Amendment or tolerated by CPD. We will not allow anyone to destroy this city.”
He said that for this, extensive planning and preparation is necessary.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling answers a question during a June 4 news conference about the upcoming Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“The most important thing is that I have full confidence and Trust in the department“All of us, our officials and the people of Chicago, want the same thing: a successful and safe convention,” he wrote.
DNC organizers said the security zone is standard procedure and that similar measures will be taken in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.
“The security perimeter is a Secret Service requirement that is standard at all national special security events, regardless of the party or location,” the DNC said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Officers called in to assist from outside the city also have concerns.
Anti-Israel protesters will gather at DePaul University in Chicago on May 5, 2024, leading to a heavy police deployment to prevent the situation from escalating further. (Jacek Bocarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“There is a fear that this will be a chaotic situation,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and spokeswoman for the National Police Association.
He said Chicago police are also regulated by an outside oversight agency known as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA. It’s not yet clear what impact that will have on supporting officers in other departments if something goes wrong.
“There’s a lot of concern, not so much about his safety but about his career and his freedom, which is very unfortunate,” he said.
In addition to the following Crime and protestsHe said the city’s residents are also having to deal with an uncontrolled influx of migrants.
Police are investigating a shooting in Chicago on January 26, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Last week, viral video surfaced The video shows a large group of young people partying on the street. When the police tried to detain one of them, a man ran after the police officer and hit him on the back of the head. Then a group of girls started dancing while others were recording the incident on their smartphones.
“Democrats should be able to hold their convention without controversy. That’s our American political system,” Brantner-Smith said. “But the problem you have is they are the same party that has now defunded law enforcement. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with all the Democrat politicians who support abolishing the police and defunding the police and ask them how are you going to run this convention without the police?”
