Democrats prepare for potential protests at Chicago convention
CHICAGO - A new report suggests Democrats are "preparing for the worst" when they come to Chicago in August for the Democratic National Convention.
According to a reporter in Politico's national publication, DNC organizers are growing apprehensive about protests and what they see as a rookie mayor who sides with protesters.
Illinois US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who was instrumental in bringing the convention to town, offered remarks on the situation.
"I'm preparing for the best. Chicago is, we're going to showcase this wonderful city. People are going to have a great time. We've been preparing for the convention. The fundraising is going well. The suites are sold out just about for the convention. And we're going to go and we're going to have a great convention where we're going to talk about all these issues, including access to reproductive technology," Duckworth said.
Politico reports the DNC might rearrange events and pre-tape more of the presentations to avoid protests breaking out inside the United Center.
Duckworth is a combat veteran and had this message for any protesters.
"We need to be decent about how we protest. We need to listen to law enforcement. We need to be peaceful, and so my focus with the convention is to make sure that people are not carrying weapons and people are not disruptive. That we do what is the truly the most American thing you can do, more so than even putting on the uniform and defending this country, is stand up and speak your mind and we're going to do that in the most American way, which is we're going to do it peacefully and the right way," she said.
The Politico article also suggests that the DNC is worried about rookie Mayor Brandon Johnson and that he sides with protesters, although FOX 32 spoke with the US Secret Service earlier this week who said they’ve been working with the city and Chicago Police Department for a year on a yet-to-be-released security plan.
Duckworth made the comments on Friday at an unrelated event discussing legislation she has proposed to protect in vitro fertilization nationally.