CHICAGO– At least 55 protesters were arrested after violent clashes with the police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Congress, a situation the police chief described as “a danger to our city.”
Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli consulate, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) from the United Center where the Democrats were meeting, “came with the intent to commit violent acts and vandalism.”
“We as the Chicago Police Department did everything we could to de-escalate that situation,” Snelling said at a news conference. “But you can only de-escalate so much before it becomes an outrageous repeat.”
The intense clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police began minutes into the demonstration, after some demonstrators — many dressed in black and with their faces covered — attacked a line of police officers who had blocked their march. They eventually managed to get past the officers, but were repeatedly surrounded by officers in riot gear throughout the night who refused to disperse the protesters.
According to Snelling, the protesters showed up to “fight with the police.”
“We were not the initiators of the violence, but we did respond to it,” Snelling said.
Snelling said between 55 and 60 people were arrested. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, one with knee pain and one with a finger injury, Snelling said. Two officers were injured but refused medical attention because they did not want to leave their colleagues, Snelling said. He said three journalists were among those arrested, but he did not have details on the charges.
“Last night was a danger to our city and a danger to our citizens in this city, our residents’ property. And CPD has a duty to protect that,” Snelling said.
The Israeli consulate has been the location of numerous demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in October, and the protests at the DNC have largely focused on resistance the war between Israel and Hamas..
The group behind Tuesday night’s protest is not affiliated with a coalition of more than 200 groups that have organized authorized rallies and marches — one took place on Monday and two are expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Another rally, organized by the US Palestinian Community Network, a Palestinian and Arab community-based organization, is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon near the United Center.
On Tuesday night, organizers called for protesters under the slogan “Make it great like ’68,” referencing the anti-Vietnam War protests that swept the city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
“That’s what they brought here to Chicago,” Snelling said. “It’s 2024. And the Chicago Police Department has proven that. So let’s leave 1968 behind us. Let’s stop talking about 1968. This is 2024.”
Many of the arrests came late in the evening, when police had cornered protesters in a plaza and prevented them from leaving. Snelling denied that police had “chained” protesters, a tactic that involves confining people in an enclosed space that is prohibited under a federal consent decree.
Snelling, who has attended all the major demonstrations during the convention so far, praised his officers. He said some female police officers were subjected to “mean, nasty, sexually explicit” comments, but that they “took a stand and did what they had to do.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of the work the men and women of this department are doing right now to keep this city safe,” he said.
Snelling rejected criticism that the police responded too overwhelmingly.
“We wanted to overwhelm them,” Snelling said. “We wanted to overwhelm the people who decided to come to our city and destroy it. Overwhelm doesn’t mean we were excessive. The response was proportionate.”
The largest protest so far, which drew about 3,500 people on Monday, was largely peaceful and resulted in 13 arrests, most related to a breach of the security fence. Two were arrested Sunday night during another, largely peaceful march.
Also on Wednesday, a man who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse and is wanted on charges of murder and armed robbery, taken into custody after a confrontation with police at a restaurant about a half mile from the United Center. There was no indication he had any connection to the convention.