CHICAGO is bracing for the madness of the Democratic National Convention this week as protests have already begun.
The state’s governor said on Sunday that about 150 members of Illinois’ National Guard are on standby as thousands of protestors are expected to march in the area throughout the days-long event.
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Over 1,000 protesters already started marching in Chicago to rally for Palestine and abortion rights on Sunday, ahead of the convention’s kickoff on Monday.
The protests started on the same day that Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in the city ahead of her formal nomination as the Democratic nominee this week.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker confirmed at a news conference on Sunday that hundreds of the military police-trained officers will be on “standby” at the DNC.
“They are really on standby. They are at the perimeter,” Pritzker said.
“Nobody expects that we’ll have to use them for anything very serious.
“We also want to make sure we have additional law enforcement type folks who are in uniform, and who are trained to be police, available.”
National Guard members are not trained to make arrests or to control crowds.
PROTESTS TO CONTINUE
Protests are set to continue throughout the week as local ABC affiliate WLS-TV reports that tens of thousands of people plan to protest the Israel-Hamas war at the convention.
The governor added that he expects “peaceful protests,” but wanted to be sure to have extra security measures because of the magnitude of the event.
“We’re just trying to cover all the bases and make sure we’re doing all the right things,” Pritzker said at the press conference.
“This is a national security event because we have the president, vice president, and a lot of other dignitaries around, so we’re glad to have their assistance,” he said about the National Guard.
The Secret Service, FBI, and other agencies are helping Chicago police during the convention.
Chicago Police shared in a post on X on Saturday that over 300 officers from Illinois and Milwaukee were deputized to help with the event’s security.
Last month, it was announced that the National Guard would provide 1,700 members to assist both the Republican National Convention and the DNC.
DNC SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY
The Democratic National Convention kicks off on Monday, August 19, in Chicago, Illinois. The schedule for the first day of the DNC is:
- 7-9:30 am – Delegation breakfasts
- 9 – 10 am – Morning press briefing
- 9:30 – 11:30 am – Black Caucus Meeting
- 9:30 – 11:30 am – Hispanic Caucus meeting
- 9:30 – 11:30 am – AAPI Caucus meeting
- 9:30 – 11:30 am – Native American Caucus meeting
- 9:30 – 11:30 am – Ethnic Council meeting
- 12 – 1:30 pm – LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting
- 12 – 1:30 pm – Small Business Council meeting
- 12 – 1:30 pm – Labor Council meeting
- 1:45 – 3:15 pm – Environmental & Climate Crisis Council meeting
- 5:30 – 10 pm – Main programming
Monday night’s theme is “For the People.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will give a welcome.
President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will speak, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Local police told NBC affiliate WMAQ that they’ve been preparing for this event for over a year.
“That planning, which required the help of our federal, state and local partners, has included thousands of hours of analyzing, training and working with the public to develop a comprehensive safety plan that was released last month,” Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer told the outlet.
“I’m proud to tell you we are ready.”
WHAT TO EXPECT
The DNC will take place from Monday until Thursday at Chicago’s United Center and McCormick Place.
Authorities have set up fencing around the event as the streets are lined with trucks and a heavy police presence.
Businesses in downtown Chicago have been seen preparing for the chaos by boarding up their windows with plywood and closing for the week.
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The Secret Service has released a list of banned items from the convention, according to local Fox affiliate WFLD.
The week will kick off with a speech from President Joe Biden, who is the only president in history to surrender his party’s nomination after winning the primary.
Hillary and Bill Clinton are also expected to speak at the DNC with former President Barack Obama in support of Harris.
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