Ed Yohnka of ACLU of Illinois speaks to reporters on a new lawsuit the group helped file against the city of Chicago on Thursday, May 2, 2024. The lawsuit argues the city unconstitutionally denied march permits to activist groups for the Democratic National Convention in August.
David Struett/Sun-Times
The city of Chicago has been so vague about its security plan for the Democratic National Convention that it may be unprepared for the throngs of protesters who will descend on the city in August, according to the ACLU of Illinois.
The civil liberties group lobbed that accusation Thursday as it filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, a left-leaning activist group whose preferred protest route on the Magnificent Mile was shot down by the city.
“Despite suggestions by some Chicago officials that the city is prepared for the Democratic National Convention, we are here today because they are not,” Ed Yohkna, spokesman for the ACLU of Illinois, told reporters Thursday. “Sadly, the city has not created a clear, transparent plan for welcoming those who want to come to demonstrate and express themselves on the issues of our day."
So far, the city has denied nearly every protest application from other groups that applied to march during the convention, which will be held from Aug. 19-22. The city offered them an alternative route through Grant Park, but the activists say that's too far from their target audience of delegates and reporters who will be converging on the United Center and McCormick Place.
The city's across-the-board permit denials are part of a pattern of the city infringing on the activist groups' First Amendment rights, according to the suit. The lawsuit claims the city's ordinance that lays out how parade permits are issued is unconstitutional.
The city hasn't been transparent about its security plan either, the ACLU argues.
The city has been unclear about how many police officers will be needed or available on the day of the protests. When Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws appealed the city’s permit denial earlier this year, city officials were unable to tell an administrative judge about the number of officers required or available, according to the suit.
The city has also yet to lay out the exact security perimeter boundaries around the main convention halls at the United Center and McCormick Place. Officials have only said the perimeters will likely extend a two-block radius from the convention centers.
"Political conventions have typically been the site of mass protests because they provide a singular occasion to send a message to the national parties and the national and international media," the lawsuit states. "Nonetheless, the City of Chicago has released no plans for accommodating large-scale protests during the Convention."
The lawsuit names the city of Chicago, Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney and Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling as defendants. The city’s law department declined to comment on the lawsuit, which it said it had not received. The mayor’s office, CPD and CDOT did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, the group the ACLU is representing, wants to march to tell the Democratic Party that it has not done enough to protest reproductive rights of the LGBTQ community.
The group, which applied to protest on Aug. 18 at the Water Tower and Michigan Avenue, will march that route whether or not it gets a permit, member Andy Thayer told reporters Thursday.
The city’s alternative route in Grant Park is insufficient, he said. Members of the group prefer to march on Michigan Avenue where many reporters and delegates will be staying in hotels.
“I remember coming out of my apartment one day and spotting Chicago cops dragging young protesters out of one section of Lincoln Park and shoving them into trucks, while nearby poet Allen Ginsberg was chanting in a circle of peaceful protesters not far away from the radical Abby Hoffman,” remembers Dan Webb, who later became a U.S. attorney.
Democrats are deeply focused on Wisconsin and Michigan to help bolster President Joe Biden’s re-election chances — and officials, in town for meetings hosted by the Democratic National Convention Committee, say they plan on showing voters a deep party contrast.
Votes on $70 million to help migrants and the bond issue to fund housing and economic development now are set for Friday. The Council was, however, poised to approve a slew of other measures.
In Chicago, the Democratic National Committee leaders will pick the members of the party’s platform, rules and credentials committees at the last party meeting before the August convention to renominate President Joe Biden.
Ald. Brendan Reilly said he’s concerned paying a settlement to Bryan Mejia, who suffered a fractured leg and torn ACL, will invite protesters expected for the Democratic National Convention to wreak havoc, then bombard the city with lawsuits.
Protesters, residents and other DNC observers would be prohibited from bringing laptops, large bags, scooters and other items into certain areas closest to convention attendees under a proposed ordinance.
Pro-Palestinian protesters greeted Biden outside the Drake Hotel on the Gold Coast, where the president had a campaign meeting before making remarks at the fundraiser.
A Chicago fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is expected to collected $2.5 million for the Biden Action Fund, a joint fundraising committee consisting of the Biden for President operation and the Democratic National Committee.
This week, residents and businesses near the United Center and McCormick Place will receive briefings on how they will be impacted by convention security plans.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, having spent the last 11 months learning the ropes of city government as Rich Guidice’s top deputy, was the natural choice to replace Guidice.
The mayor made it clear he would not remove the City Council member for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
The funds will help target a big problem for a city opening its doors to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention in August. Just 17.94% of registered voters in suburban Cook County and 25.7% of registered voters in Chicago voted in the March 19 primary.
In between meetings with film and business leaders in California, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will fundraise for the Democratic National Convention Host Committee, including a reception in Los Angeles, and for abortion rights ballot initiatives in Arizona and Nevada.
The groups — both part of the Coalition to March on the DNC — filed for parade permits to march during the Aug-19 convention, but the city denied them, saying it would tie up traffic and require police officers it could not spare.
Whether the city’s low voter turnout on Tuesday is a sign of apathy or dissatisfaction, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and key Democrats are downplaying the significance for President Joe Biden. But one leading pollster calls it a warning bell for other key Democratic cities: ‘These cities need to be engines of turnout.’
The largest of the settlements — for $45 million — goes to Nathen Jones, who suffered a massive traumatic brain injury after an unauthorized police chase. The settlements were approved at a Council meeting that also saw Mayor Brandon Johnson introduce an ordinance authorizing drawing of boundaries for a security footprint around the Democratic National Convention.
“We want to make sure that we maintain peace,” Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said during a news conference Wednesday about this summer’s Democratic National Convention. “We’re going to police constitutionally.”
When it comes to qualifying for perks — and this is true for Democrats and Republicans in past conventions — big donors can vault into the elite ranks either by direct giving or raising political cash. The Sun-Times has exclusive details on what is being offered to the Biden Victory Fund’s donors at this summer’s Chicago gathering.
Owner George Lemperis said Friday the damage was extensive but that he plans to reopen: “They rebuilt the World Trade Center. I can certainly rebuild this.”
The legendary peace priest plans to lead a protest Feb. 15 demanding the Democratic National Committee set aside funds to house Chicago’s homeless residents. “Our message is simple: ‘No money put aside for the homeless: No convention,’ ” said Pfleger.
The city has denied a group’s permit to hold a demonstration at Jane M. Byrne Plaza during the Democratic National Convention in August. A judge this week will decide whether an alternate route is acceptable.
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