City set to provide route for DNC protesters near United Center

Lina PortmanJune 7, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration is set to offer Democratic National Convention protesters a route near the United Center to potentially settle a federal lawsuit claiming the city of Chicago is violating protesters' First Amendment rights by blocking the walking projects “in sight and sound” of the convention hall.

The development was revealed during a hearing Thursday in the lawsuit filed by the American Palestinian Community Network, which seeks an injunction preventing the city from confining protesters to locations far from the convention venue, such as Grant Park. .

A city attorney told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood that city officials have now received enough information from the U.S. Secret Service that the Johnson administration is able to offer the plaintiffs in the case a ” road adjacent to the United Center,” although details were still being worked out behind the scenes.

The route will be usable “by several groups” who have applied for permits to protest near the United Center, said Andrew Worseck, an attorney with Chicago's Law Department.

One of the main issues has been the Secret Service security plan for the United Center, where, along with McCormick Place, much of the convention activity will take place, and in particular what exactly the security perimeter will be around from the United Center, Worseck said. He said the Secret Service was “still in the middle of its planning process” and that further details about the security plan had not been revealed in court.

Wood granted additional time to inquire about the motion for a preliminary injunction, given that the parties are “engaged in a good faith effort to attempt to resolve the matter” before a ruling.

But she also warned that time is running out and offered to help in negotiations if needed.

“Obviously there is a timing issue here,” Wood said. “The convention is set in stone – this date is not going to change. »

Plaintiffs' attorney Chris Williams said his clients appreciated the judge's input but said both sides could first “take a chance” on their own.

Wood set a status hearing for June 25.

The lawsuit was one of at least two filed in U.S. District Court earlier this year after the city blocked permits for protests requested near the United Center, which will serve as a convention hall for the DNC. The refusals came despite Johnson's promises that protesters would be given a fair platform and security. Instead, the city has so far offered each group the same two-block route through Grant Park — a proposal that the groups say does not respect their right to be within sight and sound of the convention.

“The tens of thousands of people who will come – not just from the Midwest, but from across the country – will march to the DNC whether we allow it or not,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Palestinian Community Network of States. -United, during a press conference. press conference in April. Abudayyeh also said the group hoped to “make life miserable” for top Democrats in Congress and the White House.

The plaintiff's memorandum filed earlier this week specifically mentioned a desire to protest President Joe Biden's policies regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. These protest plans could not be accomplished by an off-site march, the plaintiffs argued.

“Plaintiffs seek to direct their political discourse through peaceful marches toward the President of the United States, the only person who could end the suffering in Gaza with a single phone call, while he (is) at the DNC,” indicates the file. “(City officials), relying on their ordinance authorizing parades, unconstitutionally denied plaintiffs and their members the right to engage in political speech through peaceful assembly in public forums, violating thus their First Amendment rights. »

The lawsuit alleges that the protest ordinances require the city to provide an alternative protest route with similar visibility, timing and location when it rejects a protest permit application. But city officials did not meet with protesters to negotiate routes and instead suggested that groups seeking permits could face legal penalties for filing duplicate applications, according to the complaint.

The city repeatedly argued in administrative court hearings that Chicago did not have enough police officers to protect the event, control protesters and regulate traffic, records show.

Meanwhile, protesters have long signaled their intent to disrupt the convention, pursuing the host committee's executive director, Christy George, for months.

As George led an initial media tour of the United Center in January, a handful of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside.

In early February, his appearance on The Hideout was repeatedly interrupted as other pro-Palestinian activists displayed banners and flags. A few weeks later, while she was speaking at the Union League Club, a group of about 100 people gathered on the sidewalk to demand that Democrats commit to spending federal money on solve the homeless problem in Chicago.