Activists are gearing up for a major showdown with city officials over the right to protest near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago this summer, with threats to demonstrate "with or without permits." A coalition of progressive groups, eyeing to take a stand inside the sight and sound range of the DNC's hub at the United Center, has filed a federal lawsuit last month according to the Chicago Tribune.
The city, citing security and law enforcement limitations, has denied permit requests for closer proximity, instead directing activists to a two-block stretch in Grant Park, nearly four miles from the convention's locus, a proposal rejected by demonstrators who have planned alternative protests on the Near West Side. In defiance, Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, told the Tribune, "We’ll be marching with or without permits," with a predicted turnout that could surge into hundreds of thousands, and among those represented is the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a group sporting a 30,000 strong membership.
Amid escalating tensions, organizers have placed pressure on Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former community organizer, to secure permits that would allow demonstrations within acceptable proximity to the event. Abudayyeh highlighted Johnson's roots in community organizing, asserting a direct appeal to the Mayor's understanding of free speech demonstrations, and remarked to the Tribune, "And because he’s a community organizer, he knows that he can also be a target of ours, A respectful target of ours, but we will ask him and we will continue to ask him and we will continue to press him and his office to make sure that they facilitate these marches and protests as well."
In contrast to past events where the city showed greater flexibility about protest locations, like the 2012 NATO Summit, the current standoff has drawn in the ACLU of Illinois, who have voiced concerns over the group's inability to protest within sight and sound of the DNC. Maggie Lugo, with the Federation of Michoacán Clubs in Illinois, positioned in defiance at a CBS News Chicago interview, emphasized, "We're not asking. We're demanding what we fairly deserve," with activists assured in their resolve to secure closer protest grounds by summer, Joe Iosbaker, with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression rallied, "They're going to give us that permit because the power of the people is greater than the people in power. We will win."
The heightened security measures, including a $75 million federal funding grant for DNC security and the ongoing negotiations over a contested mass arrest policy by Chicago police, signal that authorities are bracing for a significant turnout. Details concerning the policy, intended to govern the handling of protests, have been called into question for potentially infringing on the First Amendment, with the ACLU of Illinois and other community groups seeking intervention from a federal judge to ensure compliance with constitutionally protected rights, as stated in the Tribune report.
