The head of the Chicago Police Department said that his law enforcement agency is ready for potentially thousands of protesters descending on the Democratic National Convention (DNC), slated to be held this week in Chicago.
“It’s not 1968. Our officers are trained differently,” Police Supt. Larry Snelling told Chicago-area station WMAQ-TV in reference to the infamous 1968 demonstrations and riots at the DNC against the Vietnam War.
“The department has evolved. Our officers have evolved. We’ve been training for this event for over a year, so the preparedness is what’s important,” he said.
Roughly 50,000 people are expected in Chicago for the convention, including thousands of anti-Israel war activists who plan to demonstrate near the United Center where Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the party’s nomination, officials have said.
The largest group, the Coalition to March on the DNC, has planned demonstrations on the first and last days of the convention. Organizers with that group say they expect at least 20,000 people, including students who protested the Israel–Hamas conflict on college campuses.
“The people with power are going to be there,” said Liz Rathburn, a University of Illinois Chicago organizer of protests. “People inside the United Center are the people who are going to be deciding our foreign policy in one way or another.”
March on the DNC’s website, which mentions President Joe Biden and not Harris, said it will kick off its march and protests on Aug. 19, making frequent references to the Gaza conflict but also other left-wing policy proposals.
“We are calling on other grassroots organizations that are fighting for exploited and oppressed people to unite with us as we take the demands of the people to the Democratic Party in August 2024,” the site says.
Since the start of the conflict last October after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped another 250, protests against the ensuing conflict have erupted across college campuses throughout the United States. Demonstrations against the conflict and Israel have also shut down roads, government offices, and more, including in Chicago.
But Snelling, in a separate interview, maintained that the Chicago Police Department, which is working alongside federal law enforcement agencies, is prepared to deal with large crowds and any security concerns.
“There’s a possibility that things could take a turn. Something could happen that we don’t expect,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “We know that our officers can respond in a professional manner with training behind them. They’ll be more effective in decision making. And then the response becomes greater and better.”
In the interview with WMAQ, published on Aug. 15, Snelling also made reference to riots that occurred in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis that year. His office is better prepared to deal with such incidents, he said.
“These were felonious acts by people who converged upon this city to destroy it,” he said. “We’re not going to tolerate that, and our officers are trained to respond to that this time. This is not just a spontaneous event like the event that occurred in 2020. We’ve prepared for this and we’re ready to go out and defend our city.”
At a news conference on Aug. 16, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said protesters are welcome to demonstrate.
“They don’t have to be concerned about their First Amendment right,” he said. “I’m going to make sure that these individuals have everything that they need to make sure that their voices are heard.”
Harris has already won the Democratic Party’s nomination in an early virtual vote. She will give her acceptance speech at the DNC later this week, along with running-mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The DNC starts Monday, Aug. 19, and ends on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer said last week there are no known specific security threats against the convention.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
These are not protesters, but Soros paid and organized anarchists, designed to divide America along lines of racial, religious, and political lines of hatred. The democrats created the Kraken,, then racked the whip to drive him on to our formerly peaceful streets, and now when they let him loose are surprised he takes out their own city like Godzilla on a rampage? This is what you get when you elect crackheads to create Krakens, who are more obsessed with each other’s cracks than cracking the code of the hidden corruption within the Democrat double speak that energizes the street violence,, and verbal dog whistles that feeds their attacking feral packs of social wolves in sheep’s clothing,,,,their corrupted rabid canine corps of criminally violent people disguised as peaceful protesters. Their Trojan horses are already poised within the gates of Chicago, many planted and chicago community organized by Obama himself, educated and taught at the feet of Saul Alinsky whose ghost it is now ,that motivates them into fits of following his published “Rules for Radicals” The show is about to begin,,,,and the curtain this time will fall upon the democrats themselves who orchestrated their American Kabuki dance of the Hours, that leaves devastation and destruction in its wake for years to come, just like what Tampon Tim alowed to be orchestated in Minneapolis.
Before this violence is over, as the massive societal bleeding continues, Tampon Tim will have to change his name to Tourniquet Tim where tampons used to stem the crackheaded crack obsessed bathroom bleedings of young male inspired misdirected sex, are exhanged for full body Mummy wrappings needed to stem the tide of the governing gushers created by this unconventionally elected dynamic duo, who are destined to dynamite and blow up this entire nation.
Especially when you see so damn many of them have professionally made signs, shirts and the like.
Come labor day, America will see that the only thing conceived and birthed in Kamala’s labors by the Democrats in this Coup, Coup Communist anointing style Convention, will be the birth of another flock of dirty bird socialist cuckoo’s, whose eggs are so rotten, not even an abortion motivated nest robber would want to devour them, let alone sell the body parts, where Conventions are no longer designed to take votes to democratically nominate the most capable candidate, but become a Stalinist manipulated election result like 2020, where it’s not who votes that counts, but which party leader gets to manipulate and count the virtual imaginary votes. After $3 billion spent on Migrant services by Illinois since Biden came into office, while democrat party used and abused inner city legitimate Chicagoans get the shaft, just who would be surprised when violence follows like night follows day, where opportunities to get and punish the party vultures while they are all flocked together at one place.109 people shot over the 4th of July weekend in Chicago?? What makes these dim witted Convention Democrats think they will dodge that bullet???
AKA Sinatra;
Chicago, Chicago
That toddler’ town (Run by Children in Adult Bodies)
Chicago, Chicago
You’ll get shoved around,
I love it
Bet your bottom dollar they’ll mug your last buck,
In Chicago, Chicago
The town that Obama/Alinsky actually have shut down,
On State Street that no great street, the thieves have their way
The same burnt stores you’ll now see on Broadway
They have a time, the time of their life
They’ll rob you blind at your throat with their knife,
In Chicago, Chicago my hometown
Chicago, Chicago
This Chicago police “boss” is delusional. He knows shoot from shoot. There is absolutely NO way to stop these very callous, myopic, self-serving people. I predicting that all Hades will break lose. And Chicago will turn into a bigger hell hole.
AND you can bet even if they DO arrest folks, the DA’s will not charge them!
So I’m guessing Gwen Walz will be sleeping with the windows open so she can smell the perfume of tires burning again. Mustn’t disappoint a lady who appreciates a good riot.