DNC 2024: Chicago's location plays to agitator's advantage
Organizers behind protests against Democrats’ support for the Israeli military are coordinating bus drop-offs for agitators from around the country in Chicago this week as they hope for tens of thousands of attendees.
Permits for rallies on the Democratic National Convention’s opening and closing evenings, Monday and Thursday, sought space for tens of thousands of demonstrators opposed to Israel’s fight against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.
The anti-Israel agitators, who are also calling for other far-left policies like the legalization of all illegal immigrants, have also called for a rally at the Israeli consulate Tuesday night.
DNC HOST CHICAGO, HAUNTED BY 1968 CONVENTION RIOTING, BRACES FOR BLOODSHED
Protesters showed up already over the weekend, before the DNC, to raise attention for their causes at Union Park, the legally approved staging area for the larger marches. Organizers are hoping people chartering buses in to town will coordinate with them to arrange for drop-offs at the park, according to the website for March on the DNC 2024.
"Chicago is perfectly positioned as reachable by every activist group in the country," said Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector who warned that the city's well-known struggles with crime and police staffing might leave the place vulnerable.
Some security experts warn agitators in the crowd may be hoping to provoke clashes with police and cause further chaos. Some groups called for as much in flyers promoting the demonstrations, with slogans like "Make it great like ‘68."
CHAOS ERUPTS AT KAMALA HARRIS NYC EVENT AS DNC BRACES FOR CHICAGO UNREST
That’s a reference to the violent week of clashes during Chicago’s 1968 DNC, when hundreds of people were arrested and dozens were hospitalized - both police and demonstrators. City lawyers blamed "troublemakers" from out of town, while a federal report dubbed the law enforcement response as a "police riot."
The chaos of 1968 aside, Chicago has hosted more major political conventions than any other U.S. city, in part because it’s easy to get to in the center of the country.
There are 11 Amtrak routes running to the city’s Union Station, as well as the high-speed commuter rail, Metra. It’s accessible from five major interstates and other highways. It’s part of a network of other Midwestern cities connected by charter bus - as well as regular national bus routes.
"While I have no doubt that the Chicago Police Department is up to this, you have to wonder who decided on Chicago for this event," Mauro said. "That department is undermanned as it is and the city’s shooting numbers are horrific."
Chicago police statistics show 30 shootings in the weekend leading into the DNC – and five homicides.