Trump’s ‘perfect storm’
Fears of violent unrest have put Cleveland on edge ahead of the Republican convention.
Donald Trump has branded himself the ‘‘law and order candidate’’, but as he hurtles into the biggest week of his political life – the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio – police are bracing for chaos.
The billionaire finally ended his search for a vice-presidential running mate yesterday, choosing Mike Pence, the conservative Indiana governor. Pence is seen as a safe choice, bringing with him legislative experience from a 12-year stint as a congressman, and an understanding of foreign affairs.
However, anybody hoping for the Trump bandwagon to enter a new, more sedate phase is likely to be disappointed. On Tuesday, he will raise the curtain on a GOP convention that promises to be the most unpredictable in half a century.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators of all hues are expected in Cleveland, with white supremacists and skinhead gangs pledging to play vigilante roles to ‘‘make sure that the Donald Trump supporters are defended’’.
Civil rights activists and militant black groups will rub shoulders with anti-trade anarchists, far-right militia and anti-abortion campaigners – and Ohio’s ‘‘open carry’’ gun laws will ensure that many of those present will be armed.
At the centre of the storm, sheltered in a secure zone guarded by the Secret Service, will be several thousand Republican delegates, party grandees, campaign staff and media.
Security analysts say that Trump’s bellicose rhetoric, a spate of police shootings of black men, and the subsequent murder of five police officers in Dallas last week have created ‘‘a potential perfect storm of civil unrest’’.
The airspace over Cleveland will be restricted, the court system is ready to process 1000 arrests a day, and the city’s police force has spent US$20 million (NZ$28m) on riot gear.
American news crews have prepared as if they are about to enter a war zone. Frank Smyth, who teaches reporters how to operate in hostile environments, said they were taking ‘‘military-grade body armour’’. He added: ‘‘No domestic political event since 1968 has generated this much concern.’’
Comparisons to 1968 – a year of bloody political upheaval and racial strife in America, at the height of the Vietnam War – have blossomed in recent days. Tensions rose again after the Nice atrocity on Friday.
The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, America’s largest civil rights group, has voiced fears that ‘‘all hell is going to break loose’’ in Cleveland. Hashim Nzinga, chairman of the New Black Panther Party, warned this week that members of the militant group would be armed, because other groups were ‘‘threatening to do harm to us’’.
Amnesty International is sending observers to the convention – the first time it has done so since the human rights organisation was founded in London 55 years ago. ‘‘There’s a potentially toxic mix of very heated rhetoric and an increase in law enforcement preventing people from protesting lawfully, and that combination is deeply concerning to us,’’ a spokesman said.
Money is also, surprisingly, something of an issue. In a letter to Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire, Republican officials apparently asked for an emergency donation of US$6m (NZ$8.4m) to pay for the convention, because Trump’s success had resulted in a number of corporate sponsors pulling out.
Trump still faces significant obstacles, including the disdain of John Kasich, the moderate Republican Ohio governor who has not endorsed him and is one of a lengthy list of party leaders who will shun the event.