It’s Day 1 of the DNC and there are 77 days until Election Day. Today we’re reporting on:
CHICAGO (AP) — Several thousand protesters marched to the site of the Democratic National Convention On opening day Monday, protesters took part in demonstrations to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza. Chicago officials said they were committed to keeping the demonstrations peaceful.
Protesters said their plans had not changed since President Joe Biden left the race and the party quickly gathered behind Vice President Kamala Harriswho will formally accept the Democratic nomination this week. Activists said they are ready to spread their progressive message to the country’s top Democratic politicians.
“We must do our part to stop the genocide, end U.S. aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for the DNC march coalition, which includes hundreds of organizations.
Protesters marched along a mile-long route that ended in a park near the United Center, where the convention is being held, while hundreds of police lined the streets. The heavy police presence at the march included Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling, who walked in front of the protesters in a group of police officers.
“Biden, you cannot hide. We charge you with genocide,” they chanted to the sound of drums. “Harris, you cannot hide. We charge you with genocide.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson said authorities were well prepared. “The city of Chicago is really good at these things,” he said at a press conference. “We are ready.”
Organizers said they hoped at least 20,000 people would attend Monday’s rally and march. Several thousand people appeared to be in attendance at the start of the march, but Chicago city officials declined to provide estimates.
Protesters march past a police cordon before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Chicago area is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the country, and buses brought activists from across the country.
Taylor Cook, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, flew in from Atlanta to attend the march. Cook said the group is urging all Democrats to call for an end to aid to Israel, with a particular focus on Harris.
“We’re telling Kamala she’s complicit in this. People think it’s just Joe Biden, but she’s vice president,” Cook said. “So we’re saying you have to stop doing this if you want our vote.”
Medea Benjamin, who traveled to Chicago from Washington, DC with a female-led group of protesters calling for peace, said she was shocked that the Biden administration recently approved another $20 billion worth of arms sales to Israel.
“There is an incredible discrepancy between what the people of this country are demanding and what the government is doing,” she said before the rally in Union Park. “It disgusts us so much.”
Activists say they Lessons learned from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month. They expect larger crowds and louder demonstrations in Chicago.
Pro-Palestinian supporters flocked to the rally in the park west of the Loop business district.
Before the march, independent presidential candidate Cornel West gave a speech to the crowd, which greeted him with cheers.
“This is not about Machiavellian politics or utilitarian electoral calculations,” he yelled into a microphone. “This is about morality. This is about spirituality.”
During the rally, about 40 pro-Israel supporters walked through the park. They remained mostly silent and waved Israeli flags. They were accompanied by about 20 police officers on bicycles. Although tensions arose at times, there were no physical confrontations.
Josh Weiner, co-founder of the Chicago Jewish Alliance, who marched with the pro-Israel group, said their intention was to “make our presence felt.”
Weiner said the group had applied for permits that were not approved by the city.
“The pro-Palestinian protesters have received several permits, including one for a march, although it seems to be a little one-sided,” Weiner said.
Police Commissioner Snelling praised police and march organizers for a peaceful protest Sunday night calling for abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and an end to the Gaza war. Chicago police said two people were arrested for resisting police and property damage.
AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports that the Democratic National Convention begins today in Chicago, after a turbulent month for the party.
“Look, it’s simple. The Chicago Police Department is here to protect everyone in this city,” Snelling said. “What we do not tolerate is intimidation. We do not tolerate violence.”
Protesters’ issues include climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many agree that pushing for an immediate ceasefire in the War between Israel and Hamas is the most important message of the demonstrations. They have compared it to the Vietnam War of their generation.
Chicago, which has hosted more political rallies than any other US city, could compare with the infamous congress of 1968 where violent clashes between police and anti-Vietnam War protesters were broadcast live on television.
Some stores have boarded up their windows as a precaution, and district courts said they would create more space in case of mass arrests. Chicago police say officers have completed a comprehensive training on constitutional policing and de-escalation tactics.
Coalition activists and the city are at odds over the location of the protests and other logistical issues. A judge ruled in favor of the city’s one-mile march route, which organizers said was not long enough for the expected crowds.
By early afternoon, not a single speaker or audience member appeared on the podium provided by the city government near the United Center. Eight groups with progressive agendas had signed up for 45-minute speaking engagements on Monday. On other days, some conservative groups, including the Illinois Policy Institute, have scheduled speaking engagements.
Also on Monday, the Philadelphia-based Poor People’s Army, which advocates for economic justice, planned to hold events with third-party presidential candidates in Humboldt Park in the city’s northwest corner. Jill Stone And West, plus a 3 mile (5 kilometer) march.
“The First Amendment is a fundamental part of our democracy,” Johnson, a former labor leader, said in an interview with the Associated Press last week. “I will do everything in my power to protect the right to assemble and protest.”
