Activists planning on protesting during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago are pushing for a stage and speakers at one of the two designated protest areas as the convention nears. NBC Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
The city of Chicago and a coalition of protest groups told a federal judge Thursday evening that they are engaged in confidential settlement talks as they seek a resolution to where how protesters can make their voices heard during the Democratic National Convention next week.
Late Wednesday, the coalition learned that the applications they filed months ago have been approved, but with significant conditions including no stages, portable restrooms, tents, or sound equipment, as city officials said they constitute a “public safety risk.”
“They are restricting our rights based on content, not safety or security or anything like that,” said Hatem Abuddayeh, the co-founder and National Coordinating Committee member of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network
Joining with the USPCN at a small protest outside City Hall Thursday were a handful of Chicago City Council members, demanding that Mayor Brandon Johnson, who supported the City Council vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, step in.
“Today we are standing here because we need for the city to give us what we need,” 33rd Ward Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez-Sanchez said.
The group said it needs amenities, including a stage and a sound system at Union Park, where they had planned an hours-long protest program.
Union Park will also be the start and finish for a 1.1-mile march that will bring protesters within sight and sound of the United Center.
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There will be a stage and a sound system set up at Park #578, which is only a block from the United Center. The city set up an application process for speaking slots at that park and many have been claimed by the coalition of Palestinian supporters and those campaigning for LGBTQ+, Black, immigrant and reproductive rights.
With the convention now only days away, both sides acknowledged that time is running out to reach a settlement. Judge Andrea Wood gave city attorneys until noon Friday to prepare a written response to the protesters’ latest filings.
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If necessary, she has scheduled a teleconference between the parties for 2:30 Friday afternoon. Complicating the process, the attorney for the protesters is fighting a case of COVID-19, requiring the remote proceedings.
The Democratic National Convention will be held from Aug. 19-22, with most events taking place at the United Center, though some events will be held at the McCormick Place.
