As political convention comes to Chicago, residents, leaders and activists vie for the spotlight
CHICAGO– Chicago is the American city that has hosted the most political conventions, and has seen it all.
Since Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Chicago has hosted more than two dozen official presidential nominations, including the infamous Convention of 1968, where police clashed with protesters, and Bill Clinton’s 1996 reappointment.
Now the nation’s third-largest city is back on the world political stage as it hosts the Democratic National Convention on Monday. City leaders, residents and activists all hope to take center stage and shape the city’s reputation.
Tourism officials are eager to highlight the best places and eateries, while addressing concerns about crowds and street violence. Anti-war protesters drawn from the area’s large Palestinian population are ready to march. And elected leaders say it’s a historic opportunity to be the city where a woman of color, Vice President Kamala Harriswill take the lead in the presidential election for the first time.
“It’s a remarkable testament to who we are as a people, and once again hosting the world where great history is going to happen by launching the first Black woman of Asian descent into the most powerful office in the world,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told The Associated Press. “Chicago gets to do that.”
But not everyone sees it that way.
While there have been highlights in the congressional arena, such as the 1996 congress which passed off largely without incident, comparisons with the 1968 congress are inevitable, especially since disapproval of US support for war in Gaza is growing.
Lee Weiner, 85, is the last surviving member of the “Chicago Seven” activists who were tried for organizing an anti-Vietnam War protest outside Congress in 1968, during which bloody clashes with police were captured on live television.
Weiner said the protests changed his life.
The sociologist wrote a memoir about his experiences growing up in Chicago and participating in the high-profile trial. Weiner said he thinks people are more divided now than ever and that police tactics haven’t really changed.
“Echoes from that time are now a permanent part of our daily lives,” Weiner said. “If you go out on the street, you have to be careful.”
Chicago has been prepare for more than a year, with extensive police training and security drills ahead of the event expected to draw 50,000 people, including thousands of anti-war activists.
Johnson says his leadership — as a black man and former union organizer — shows things are different and that Chicago will take First Amendment rights into account.
But the fear that things could turn out differently remains.
Some downtown businesses boarded up their windows this week, while Cook County courts added more space and hours in preparation for mass arrests during the convention.
Police Chief Larry Snelling said Chicago has hosted many large-scale events without any problems, including the NATO convention in 2012. He praised the department’s training for constitutional policing and de-escalation tactics that are crucial to the city’s security plan.
The department was confronted strong criticism because they were not prepared for the aftermath of George Floyds deaths in Minneapolis in 2020, when civil unrest broke out nationwide.
But Snelling said the situation was different: Chicago police are prepared for planned protests during the DNC and the department has learned a lot.
“We’ve evolved as a department. We’ve evolved in training,” Snelling told the AP this week. “You look at 1968; I think anyone who’s still around from that time will tell you that officers didn’t have the training or the readiness to deal with those types of situations.”
Protests are expected every day of the convention, with the overarching message being a call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza. Activists say Chicago is an ideal location because the demonstrations will take place in the city’s southwestern suburbs, which have the largest concentrations of Palestinians in the country.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the genocide affects the people of Chicago on a very personal level,” said Muhammad Sankari, an organizer. “That is why it is a moral imperative for us to organize and bring our demands to the doorstep of the Democratic Party.”
Some Chicagoans are also hoping to take advantage of this opportunity.
Bradly Johnson runs an anti-violence organization, BUILD Chicago, on the West Side, not far from the United Center where the convention will take place. For months, his group has used the upcoming convention during after-school and weekend programming to educate young people about the democratic process.
He hopes that the thousands of party leaders coming to Chicago will also learn from young people.
“It’s a chance for Chicago to show that although there are shootings, “That’s not the totality of who we are,” he said.
Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois said the excitement surrounding the convention — the 26th of a major party in the city — was evident.
Her phone has been buzzing with friends and acquaintances looking for tickets since Harris became the presumptive nominee. To add to the hype, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was considered as Harris’ running mate.
Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, said it was fitting that Harris accepted the nomination in Chicago, where former President Barack Obama began his political career.
“We have a tradition in this city of men and women moving forward to explore new horizons,” she said.
Tourism officials were also enthusiastic about the increased revenue.
According to Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing organization, similarly sized conventions in other cities have generated as much as $200 million for hotels, restaurants and retailers.
“We’re like a ‘Type A’ personality,” said Rich Gamble, interim president of Choose Chicago. “We have expectations of ourselves. When you’re here, we want you to be the best version of yourself and the best behavior.”