How protesters and Chicago police defied predictions of chaos at the DNC
The stakes were high as tens of thousands of Democrats descended on Chicago for their nominating convention this week and law enforcement braced for potentially violent protests outside the United Center.
CHICAGO — The stakes were high as tens of thousands of Democrats descended this week on Chicago for their nominating convention, and law enforcement braced for potentially violent protests outside the United Center.
Comparisons were drawn to the 1968 Chicago convention, when national unrest during the civil rights movement and over the Vietnam War sowed an atmosphere of violence and chaos.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention unfolded quite differently, however, with both protests and policing bearing little resemblance to the turmoil of 56 years ago.
“If the 1968 convention went down as the example of police brutality, then the 2024 convention will go down as the example of constitutional policing,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters Friday.
Chicago Police Department officers were trained to deploy a disciplined and patient approach that focused on protecting free speech and allowing people to lawfully protest, a department official said. In the handful of instances in which tensions between police and protesters escalated, police zeroed in on a small number of people who attacked officers or disregarded dispersal orders.
Rating: 5