Chicago officials, organizers and the U.S. Secret Service are working to designate where demonstrators can and can’t protest during the Democratic National Convention this August.
Why it matters: The city needs to protect the safety of attendees while also respecting protesters’ right to march, but some activists already feel their message is being stifled.
Catch up fast: The city has a long and at times dark history with unrest at conventions. During the infamous 1968 DNC, clashes between police and protesters turned violent — leaving a ” black eye ” on the city.
- More recently, police arrested dozens during the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, and three men faced terrorism-related charges. A jury later acquitted them on those charges but found them guilty of mob action, Reuters reported .
What they’re saying: “When we found out that we were getting the convention, we started training right away,” CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling said during a recent speech . “We got about a year to prepare. My experience with the NATO event in 2012 … we look at where other cities went wrong. We look at where we went wrong.”