Officials in Chicago are concerned about potential violence at the upcoming Democratic National Convention despite spending $75 million in taxpayer-funded money for security, reported the Daily Caller.
Demonstrators are planning on major protests at the event in August, with over 70 organizations joining a coalition called "March on the DNC" to protest President Joe Biden for being "complicit in the genocide" of Palestinians, a spokesperson told Time.
"Individuals are not coming here to peacefully protest. They're coming here so that they can take home the badge of honor being pelted by a police officer's weapon or some sort of mark of shame to take home and say, Look, this is my bruise. This is my broken arm. This is my cracked head from Chicago because I was there fighting and leading the resistance," Democratic Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez told the Daily Caller.
"When you have Democratic Socialist members of the city council and other individuals openly advocating for people to organize without permits, to organize protests and counterprotests and to be prepared to make this greater than 1968, which was one of the darkest chapters in our city's history, politically, we have to be prepared for anything."
A spokesperson for the "March on the DNC" coalition told Time protesters plan to march on the first and last day of the convention, which is being held at the United Center.
Republican Illinois state Rep. John Cabello said he thinks "some things will unfortunately turn because emotions are gonna run high."
"I believe that there will be arrests. I believe that people who are trying to disrupt democracy should be arrested if they try to stop it."
"I'm a Republican, but the Democrats deserve to have a convention where they have the right to do what they need to do. And if anybody wants to stop that, then I believe they need to be arrested, and they need to throw the book out," he added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.