DNC protesters lining up city permits now to ensure leaders ‘can see us and hear us’
Organizers say early preparations are meant to avoid the obstacles they faced under Mayor Rahm Emanuel ahead of the 2012 NATO Summit, but they expect a friendlier reception from Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
Joe Iosbaker, labor co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and other activists on Wednesday announced their plans to march during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The Democratic National Convention isn’t coming to Chicago for another 16 months, but activist groups already are laying the groundwork for massive demonstrations across the city.
Leaders of numerous progressive groups banding together as the Coalition to March on the DNC said Wednesday they’re lining up city permits now for protests aiming to bring thousands “within sight and sound” of the party honchos in town to re-nominate President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
Organizers say the early preparations are intended to avoid the obstacles they met in obtaining approvals from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel administration ahead of the 2012 NATO Summit — not that they’re expecting nearly as much pushback from Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, a longtime Chicago Teachers Union organizer.
“Our new mayor comes out of protest movements, but nonetheless, we need to insist on our right to march not only in some parts of town but to the place where the convention-goers, the national leadership of the Democratic Party, can see us and hear us,” coalition organizer Joe Iosbaker said during a Loop news conference.
Protesters also want to get the word out early to attract activists nationwide to Chicago, where about 12,000 people rallied a decade ago outside the NATO summit at McCormick Place. Iosbaker said the “prospects are tremendous” for an even larger activist presence next August.
Their DNC demonstration may look similar, with a large rally in Grant Park followed by marches through the Loop — but their message will be broader than the anti-war theme that defined the 2012 protests.
Activist groups planning demonstrations in Chicago during next year’s Democratic National Convention held a news conference on Federal Plaza Wednesday.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Groups in the coalition say their “People’s Agenda” includes LGBTQ and abortion rights, immigration reform and unionization, all with an overarching focus on “racist policing,” according to Iosbaker.
“For too long, it has been assumed that Black people by default vote Democrat,” said Amika Tendaji of Black Lives Matter-Chicago. “That party has not protected our young people from being shot by the police. It has not protected us from police brutality. It has not protected or prioritized the safety of Black women and girls. It has not protected or prioritized the safety of Black trans women — and so we will protest until we can get a party that will actually protect Black lives.”
Biden called Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week to inform him Chicago was his pick to host the DNC next Aug. 19-22. The city’s first convention since 1996 is projected to draw 50,000 visitors.
Party leaders haven’t yet released many details on convention plans. Primetime events will be held at the United Center, with daytime business conducted at McCormick Place.
“Wherever it is, we want to march there,” Iosbaker said. “We want to put on display for the country that Chicago is having a new day, and we want to invite everybody in the movements around the country to come and add their voices together with us.”
“I remember coming out of my apartment one day and spotting Chicago cops dragging young protesters out of one section of Lincoln Park and shoving them into trucks, while nearby poet Allen Ginsberg was chanting in a circle of peaceful protesters not far away from the radical Abby Hoffman,” remembers Dan Webb, who later became a U.S. attorney.
Democrats are deeply focused on Wisconsin and Michigan to help bolster President Joe Biden’s re-election chances — and officials, in town for meetings hosted by the Democratic National Convention Committee, say they plan on showing voters a deep party contrast.
Votes on $70 million to help migrants and the bond issue to fund housing and economic development now are set for Friday. The Council was, however, poised to approve a slew of other measures.
In Chicago, the Democratic National Committee leaders will pick the members of the party’s platform, rules and credentials committees at the last party meeting before the August convention to renominate President Joe Biden.
Ald. Brendan Reilly said he’s concerned paying a settlement to Bryan Mejia, who suffered a fractured leg and torn ACL, will invite protesters expected for the Democratic National Convention to wreak havoc, then bombard the city with lawsuits.
Protesters, residents and other DNC observers would be prohibited from bringing laptops, large bags, scooters and other items into certain areas closest to convention attendees under a proposed ordinance.
Pro-Palestinian protesters greeted Biden outside the Drake Hotel on the Gold Coast, where the president had a campaign meeting before making remarks at the fundraiser.
A Chicago fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is expected to collected $2.5 million for the Biden Action Fund, a joint fundraising committee consisting of the Biden for President operation and the Democratic National Committee.
This week, residents and businesses near the United Center and McCormick Place will receive briefings on how they will be impacted by convention security plans.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, having spent the last 11 months learning the ropes of city government as Rich Guidice’s top deputy, was the natural choice to replace Guidice.
The mayor made it clear he would not remove the City Council member for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
The funds will help target a big problem for a city opening its doors to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention in August. Just 17.94% of registered voters in suburban Cook County and 25.7% of registered voters in Chicago voted in the March 19 primary.
In between meetings with film and business leaders in California, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will fundraise for the Democratic National Convention Host Committee, including a reception in Los Angeles, and for abortion rights ballot initiatives in Arizona and Nevada.
The groups — both part of the Coalition to March on the DNC — filed for parade permits to march during the Aug-19 convention, but the city denied them, saying it would tie up traffic and require police officers it could not spare.
Whether the city’s low voter turnout on Tuesday is a sign of apathy or dissatisfaction, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and key Democrats are downplaying the significance for President Joe Biden. But one leading pollster calls it a warning bell for other key Democratic cities: ‘These cities need to be engines of turnout.’
The largest of the settlements — for $45 million — goes to Nathen Jones, who suffered a massive traumatic brain injury after an unauthorized police chase. The settlements were approved at a Council meeting that also saw Mayor Brandon Johnson introduce an ordinance authorizing drawing of boundaries for a security footprint around the Democratic National Convention.
“We want to make sure that we maintain peace,” Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said during a news conference Wednesday about this summer’s Democratic National Convention. “We’re going to police constitutionally.”
When it comes to qualifying for perks — and this is true for Democrats and Republicans in past conventions — big donors can vault into the elite ranks either by direct giving or raising political cash. The Sun-Times has exclusive details on what is being offered to the Biden Victory Fund’s donors at this summer’s Chicago gathering.
Owner George Lemperis said Friday the damage was extensive but that he plans to reopen: “They rebuilt the World Trade Center. I can certainly rebuild this.”
The legendary peace priest plans to lead a protest Feb. 15 demanding the Democratic National Committee set aside funds to house Chicago’s homeless residents. “Our message is simple: ‘No money put aside for the homeless: No convention,’ ” said Pfleger.
The city has denied a group’s permit to hold a demonstration at Jane M. Byrne Plaza during the Democratic National Convention in August. A judge this week will decide whether an alternate route is acceptable.
Xavier L. Tate Jr., 22, was taken into custody without incident shortly after 7 p.m. following a “multi-state investigation” that involved the Chicago Police Department and “many other” law enforcement agencies.
