As Cleveland prepares for the Republican National Convention, more than 70 law enforcement and government agencies are on high alert in the city, with riot gear, handcuffs and body cameras.
Cleveland jails are being emptied and its courts are staying open until 1 a.m. in case there are mass arrests, according to
The Washington Post.
"You have a lot of angry people in the United States in 2016, and it seems a lot of it is focused on the political process," Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine said.
The convention would be a focal point for anger. "You start with a very controversial presumptive nominee who generates a lot of ill feelings and a lot of support," Adrine said, "and those tectonic plates are coming together and going to be moving under Cleveland."
The Secret Service, the FBI and special federal agents are heading up Cleveland's security detail. Barriers and metal fences will be in place in the downtown area.
Ohio has an open-carry law, which could ramp up safety concerns. "You might see a sidearm or a big gun," Cleveland City Council member Matt Zone said in the Post report. "We want to be a welcoming presence, but there is a level of anxiety."
Police want to appear more welcoming by wearing short sleeves and riding bicycles, but they will have riot gear ready, Zone added.
No matter the potential for chaos, the city of Cleveland looks forward to the convention, according to Mayor Frank Jackson. "We not only asked for this, we competed for it. We're not 'poor us," bemoaning our situation."
Federal agents have visited several local activists, which some took as a warning.
"The agent basically told me not to go to Cleveland," police reform group activist Sam Sinyangwe said, reports the Post.
Some protesters will skip the Republican Convention. Activist Mervyn Marcano, who has worked with Black Lives Matter, said, "Most folks in our movement aren't getting on a plane to waste time with Donald Trump."
Judge Adrine said the environment seems possible for unrest. "We have seen people unsettled, but these folks are flat-out mad."
"Obviously, everybody is on edge after Dallas," Cleveland City Council Safety Committee member Brian Kazy said according to
The New York Times.
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