DNC and city officials promise Chicago is ready for international spotlight

A little more than a month before the Democratic National Convention arrives in Chicago, one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s top deputies on Thursday assured a roomful of business and civic leaders the city is ready for its moment in the international spotlight and that the impact of the historic event will be felt long after the expected 50,000 visitors leave town.

Concerns about potential unrest in the streets, including planned protests over the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, have shifted and in some ways been overshadowed in the past two weeks as Democrats find themselves divided over whether President Joe Biden should remain the party’s nominee. The concerns were significantly heightened after Biden, 81, gave a listless debate performance late last month that caused many Democrats to worry he could not defeat former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, in November or serve as president for four more years.

While Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have reaffirmed their support for Biden in recent days after each took part in private meetings with the president and other leaders, U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park on Thursday joined U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago on the growing list of Democrats calling for a new nominee to lead the ticket.

Whatever divisions might be on display on the streets of the city or inside the convention hall at the United Center, Chicago is prepared for its role as host, John Roberson, the city’s chief operating officer, said during an event in River North hosted by the City Club of Chicago.

“Given the national dynamic in terms of the public discourse that is going on today, why not Chicago?” Roberson said. “Why wouldn’t this be the place where we can host the most democratic activity of selecting someone to run for the highest office in the land and still be the same city that provides the room and space for the full-throated expression of First Amendment rights?

“And to do it in this moment while the world is watching, we have the opportunity as the city to show people how to do it the right way.”

Roberson’s comments came days after a violent Fourth of July weekend during which 100 people were shot, 21 of them fatally, while the city hosted a NASCAR street race downtown.

Nevertheless, he said the Chicago Police Department is prepared to keep the entire city safe when the DNC is in town from Aug. 19-22.

“What we are going to do is to make sure that every single visitor, delegate or not, will be safe. We’re going to make sure that those who are going to engage in the full expression of their First and Fourth amendment rights are going to be safe,” Roberson said, referring to the rights of free speech and assembly but also protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. “And we’re going to do that against the backdrop of providing public safety for 2.7 million people in the city of Chicago.”

CPD has been preparing for months for the convention and coordinating closely with the Secret Service, which is in charge of security in and around the United Center and McCormick Place, where party business will take place during the days of the convention.

Roberson reiterated that Chicago police — drawing on lessons from the 1996 DNC, the 2012 NATO summit and even pro-Palestinian protests this spring — are ready and that the Johnson administration welcomes protests, even as it continues to try to negotiate an agreement with demonstrators about where their rallies and marches can take place.

“For a mayor that comes out of labor, that comes out of the movement, he embraces that. He encourages it. … We want that to happen,” Roberson said. “But we’re not going to tolerate vandalism; we’re not going to tolerate destruction of property.”

Joining Roberson on stage at the lunchtime event were Alex Hornbrook, executive director of the Democratic National Convention Committee, and Christy George, executive director of the nonprofit Chicago host committee, both of whom sidestepped an audience question about the process for choosing a new nominee should Biden withdraw.

Instead, Hornbrook spoke about how convention organizers for the first time are offering access to social media content creators in much the same way they do for the traditional news media.

None of the panelists took questions from reporters after the discussion. It’s common practice following City Club events for speakers to answer media inquiries.

On stage, Hornbrook, who led the host city selection process for the DNC, said whether it comes to conveniently located hotel rooms, transportation infrastructure or public safety planning, “we’re fully confident that the city is prepared for this moment.”

“It’s not an accident that we’re here … in Chicago,” he said.

George encouraged the City Club audience to help draw convention-goers into Chicago’s neighborhoods by hosting events throughout the week.

“We would love to see events happening all over the city of Chicago,” she said.

Aside from security preparations, city workers have been busy with beautification and infrastructure improvement projects ahead of the convention, from planting 500 new trees to building a new $80 million CTA station on the Green Line at Damen Avenue.

While acknowledging some people might question the expenditures, Roberson said the Johnson administration is aiming for improvements that will benefit residents beyond the four days of the convention.

Those trees, for example, are being planted in areas where they’re currently lacking, which eventually should help lower residents’ energy bills in the summer by providing more shade, he said.

Likewise, the administration is targeting the area around the new Damen Green Line stop for the development of more affordable housing, Roberson said.

“When we talk about the investments that we’re making for the DNC, yes, we’re going to beautify; yes, we’re going to make sure that our delegates have a good time,” he said. “But we also have to make sure that the long-lasting impact is going to help to change the trajectory and create the vibrancy for the future of our city.”

Biden’s future, meanwhile, remains hotly debated among Democratic officials, donors and activists.

In his statement, Schneider, the five-term North Shore congressman, professed his “love” for the president but encouraged him to follow the lead of George Washington and “pass the torch.”

“In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known,” said Schneider, who noted he was the first member of Illinois’ congressional delegation to back Biden in the 2020 race.

“He can lead the transition of power to a new generation that can build a stronger party and a stronger nation,” Schneider said. “I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance.”