Protesters won't have access to Milwaukee park near GOP convention venue

The move comes after a months-long pressure campaign by prominent Republicans who raised security concerns about holding protests at Pere Marquette Park, a large outdoor space near Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum.

Republican and Democratic Party officials expect large protests for their conventions this summer, and Republican Party officials have expressed concern that demonstrators and convention attendees could clash if they find themselves near.

At a news conference in Milwaukee on Friday, city and federal officials displayed a map showing that Père Marquette Park would be located within the convention's interior security perimeter, meaning only people with a documented need to 'entry, such as convention attendees and volunteers, will be able to enter. be allowed to pass.

Authorities said the protest zones would be located at two sites at opposite ends of the convention's outer security perimeter, an area where vehicles must be screened but which remains generally accessible to the public.

One of the areas, Haymarket Square Park, is just northeast of Fiserv Forum. Another area, Zeidler Union Square, is five blocks south of Fiserv Forum.

The fight over the location of the convention's “First Amendment Zone” has been going on for several months between top Republican Party officials, Secret Service officials and local Wisconsin officials.

City leaders said they were required to have a designated area “within sight and sound” of the convention area, and they wanted to use Pere Marquette Park. They also said they were going to use the same park for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was scuttled due to the pandemic.

The ACLU of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee earlier this month over protesters being denied an area “in sight and sound” of the convention area. Although the parties attempted to negotiate, ACLU of Wisconsin attorney Tim Muth said in a statement Friday that “the gap is too great to bridge” and that they are moving forward with their case.

“We were surprised and disappointed to see how many blocks in downtown Milwaukee the Secret Service declared off-limits to anyone except convention attendees. The large size of this area makes it more critical than ever that the city take steps to allow effective opportunities for expression and assembly for those with differing viewpoints,” Muth said in his statement, later adding that “the expansion of the accreditation zone the path towards the Milwaukee River and the inclusion of Père Marquette Park cannot be justified.

In a tense 45-minute meeting last month, U.S. Secret Service officials said they were not aware of any “trouble” related to protests at the park. Many local activists said they fear Republicans simply want to keep protesters away from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and think they should be closer than Pere Marquette Park, not further away.

In his statement Friday, Muth called the expansion of the security perimeter “an unacceptable concession to the Republican National Committee, which did not want to see or hear protesters near its convention.”

In both demonstration areas, the City of Milwaukee will provide speaker platforms with audio equipment and a podium. More than 100 applications were submitted by people wishing to speak on the designated platforms, officials said at Friday's press conference.

A parade of protesters is also expected to take place around Zeidler Union Square during the four-day convention.

Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.