CHICAGO– Thousands of activists are expected to descend on Chicago this week for the Democratic National Conventionin hopes of drawing attention to abortion rights, economic injustice and the war in Gaza.
While Vice President Kamala Harris has been energized crowd of supporters as she prepares to accept the Democratic nomination, progressive activists continue to insist their mission remains the same.
Activists say they lessons learned from last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and predict bigger crowds and stronger demonstrations in Chicago, a city with deep roots in social activism.
Demonstrations are expected every day of the convention and while their agendas differ, many activists agree on an immediate ceasefire in the War between Israel and Hamas is the priority.
The event kicks off on Sunday, the eve of the convention, with a march for abortion rights along iconic Michigan Avenue.
Organizer Linda Loew said that while Democrats have pushed to protect reproductive rights at home, the issue is international. They will march in solidarity with people around the world who are fighting for the right to control their bodies, and to protest the money the US spends to finance wars that could be used for health care, she said.
“We believe that the billions of dollars that continue to flow into the State of Israel and the flow of weapons are having an outsized and horrific impact, but particularly on women, children and the unborn,” she said. “All of these things are interconnected.”
The largest group, the Coalition to March Against the DNC, has planned demonstrations on the first and last days of the convention.
Organizers say they expect at least 20,000 activists, including students who protested the war on university campuses.
“The people with power are going to be there,” said Liz Rathburn, a student organizer at the University of Illinois Chicago. “People inside the United Center are the people who are going to shape our foreign policy one way or another.”
Activists sued the city earlier this year, arguing that restrictions on where they can protest violate their constitutional rights.
Chicago leaders have rejected their requests for permits to protest at the United Center on the city’s West Side, where the convention is being held, instead offering a lakeside park three miles away.
The city later agreed to allow demonstrations in a park and a march route closer to the United Center. A federal judge recently approved the group’s roughly one-mile route.
Coalition to March at DNC Spokesperson Hatem Abudayyeh said the group is pleased to have won the right to protest closer to the convention, but he believes their preferred 2-mile (3-kilometer) march would be safer for larger crowds. The group is chartering buses for activists from about a half-dozen states.
“We are moving forward, full steam ahead,” he said.
The city has designated a park about a block from the United Center for a speakers’ podium. Those who register will have 45 minutes.
The Poor People’s Army of Philadelphia, which advocates for economic justice, plans to set up shop in Humboldt Park on the city’s northwest side and will host events featuring third-party candidates Jill Stein And Cornel West, plus a 5K march to the United Center on Monday.
Some group members have completed the 80-mile march from Milwaukee in recent weeks, where they protested during the republican convention.
“Poor and homeless people are being brutalized, with tents and encampments being destroyed and bulldozed, from San Francisco to Philadelphia to Gaza and the West Bank,” spokesperson Cheri Honkala said in a statement when the group reached Illinois. “These preventable human rights violations are being committed by both Democratic and Republican leaders.”
Many activists believe that not much will change because Harris is part of the Biden administration.
“The demands haven’t changed. I haven’t seen any policy changes,” said Erica Bentley, an activist with Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity. “When you come here, you have to listen to what’s important to us.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago have been very visible, to block roads to the airport and staging sit-ins at convention offices. Some are planning their own one-day convention on Sunday featuring third-party candidates.
“Regardless of who the nominee is, we march against the Democrats and their brutal policies that have allowed Israel to kill over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza,” said Fayaani Aboma Mijana, an organizer with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
It is unclear whether the convention will attract far-right supporters who fervently support former President Donald Trump.
Secret Service acting special agent Derek Mayer said last week that there are no known specific security risks to Congress.
The convention is expected to draw an estimated 50,000 people to the country’s third-largest city, including delegates, activists and journalists.
The city says it has made preparations with police and the Secret Service. Security will be tight, with street closures around the convention center.
To tackle traffic problems, city officials are calling for a new plan $80 Million Train Station steps from the United Center. They have also tried to beautify the city with freshly planted flowers and new signs. City officials have also cleared a nearby homeless camp.
The police have undergone training On constitutional policing, district courts say they are creating more space in preparation for mass arrests and hospitals near the security zone are improving emergency preparedness.
However, some still worry about security, fearing that the protests will become unpredictable or descend into chaos.
“We’re going to make sure that people’s First Amendment rights are protected so they can do that safely,” Mayor Brandon Johnson recently told The Associated Press in an interview.
Activist Hy Thurman protested and was arrested at the infamous convention of 1968who is best remembered for brutal clashes between police and protesters opposing the Vietnam War. The 74-year-old now lives in Alabama but plans to come to Chicago to protest the war in Gaza.
“It’s very personal to me,” he said. “I see parallels.”