GOP convention a test for host
Will Cleveland be able to keep peace during July event?
CLEVELAND — Cleveland managed to avoid the kind of violent confrontations between police and protesters seen in Missouri and Baltimore after police killed black residents, but will it be able to keep the peace when officers and activists flood downtown for the Republican National Convention?
City officials have been quiet about their plans for handling convention protests, saying only that they are prepared for “challenges” and are working to free up jail cells, while activists have warily eyed the city’s acquisition of riot gear.
Larry Bresler, who hopes to help stage an economicinequality protest on the first day of the July convention, is among those who believe activists this summer can’t expect the same accommodations they got in protests after the police killing of black 12-year-old Tamir Rice and the acquittal of an officer for his role in the deaths of two unarmed black people in a 137-shot barrage.
Bresler called the convention “a whole different ballgame” and said he doesn’t expect police to be so pliable this summer.
“I don’t think there’s a chance that’ll be the case,” he said.
After the killing of Tamir, who was carrying an airsoft gun that looked real, by a rookie patrolman, Cleveland officers would typically lead protest processions in their cruisers while blocking intersections and mostly allowing people to march where they pleased. During one of the first protests, marchers blocked a busy freeway. Police Chief Calvin Williams was often on hand to observe.
But the convention will prove an additional test for the Cleveland Police Department, which last year began operating under a reform-minded agreement called a consent decree after a Justice Department investigation concluded officers had shown a pattern of using excessive force and violating people’s civil rights.
A city spokesman said no Cleveland officials would be available to comment for this article.
A police union official has said around 600 Cleveland police officers are expected to join several thousand officers hired from other law enforcement agencies to provide security downtown during the convention week.
The Secret Service will be responsible for the security perimeter that surrounds the convention site, Quicken Loans Arena, at the edge of downtown.
A police official told City Council members last month that the department is prepared to meet expected “challenges.”
“We are prepared to assist anyone who legally and lawfully wants to exercise their free speech rights,” Deputy Chief Ed Tomba said.
Public Safety Director Michael McGrath told the council at the same meeting that the city is working with Cuyahoga County to free up jail cells should police need to arrest large numbers of people. Activists have expressed concerns about the type of police-related equipment Cleveland is purchasing using the $50 million federal grant it received, including 2,000 sets of riot gear.