Police prepare for thousands to pack protests
Authorities to monitor movements to make sure ideological clashes don’t turn physical
The First Amendment bars the government from blocking “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”
Tens of thousands of protesters — everyone from Bikers for Trump to the Westboro Baptist Church and the Coalition to Stop Trump — will pack Cleveland next week.
Police are bracing for days of protests as the conflicting groups cram into downtown and surround the Q — the Quicken Loans Arena, where Donald Trump is set to accept the Republican presidential nomination next Thursday night. Authorities will restrict public movement around much of downtown, barring backpacks and coolers from the closest designated “public viewing areas.”
Some groups hope to get coverage from the thousands of journalists there for the convention and any disturbances. Others appointed themselves protectors of the city. “We do intend to show a force. We don’t want these outof-towners coming to our city and causing trouble. We have to stand up and defend our city,” said Bill Daher, who is helping organize a Bikers for Trump rally.
Daher initially told city security planners he intended to have 500,000 people join his rally in a city park, but he admits he doesn’t expect anywhere near that many. At least, he said, his group can serve as a buffer between delegates and protesters.
Some police departments have decided against sending officers to help over concerns the city isn’t as prepared as they’d like.
Dozens of protest groups have signed up for permits for marches, demonstrations and speaking opportunities, but there’s one glaring absence: the local franchise of Black Lives Matter. The Cleveland group, whose affiliates throughout the country have been thrust into the national spotlight for a demonstration that preceded last week’s deadly ambush of five Dallas-area police officers, elected not to participate in the permitting process.
Kareem Henton, an organizer for the Cleveland franchise, said the decision has nothing to do with criticism of the movement for police accountability. The political right has asserted that the groups foment violence against law enforcement. Henton — whose franchise has regularly rallied against police actions, including the shooting in 2014 of Tamir Rice, 12, who was holding a toy gun, by a Cleveland police officer — said the group objected to “an approval process for a constitutional right.”
Police in Cleveland must strike a balance between public safety and those constitutional rights. The First Amendment, which guarantees the right to a free press and freedom of religion, bars the government from blocking “the right of the people peace- ably to assemble.” Violating the Constitution can bring significant consequences: After the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the city of Denver was fined $200,000 after improperly arresting about 100 people during a protest march.
The Westboro Baptist Church plans to bring just five people to protest. The Kansas-based church is known for its anti-gay rhetoric, and its members often protest soldiers’ funerals and sue or seek criminal charges against anyone who crosses the line to confront them.
“The ‘Christians’ and ‘conservatives’ that will flock to Cleveland are full of idolatry, adultery, fornication and sodomy; led by deeply corrupted preachers, teachers, parents, politicians, media and entertainers,” the church said in a statement. “No one gives a single thought to his or her duty to submit to, fear and obey God.”
The Coalition to Stop Trump, which plans a protest march Monday at noon through downtown, welcomes children and the elderly to attend because organizers are confident in their safety. They have arranged marches that drew more than 10,000 people each time, but spokesman Tom Burke said he expects this march to draw about 1,000 people.
“We’re just asking that the Trump people be aware of who we are and when we’re going to march, so they can choose to keep a distance. And we’re asking the police to respect our right to express our opposition to hate and intolerance,” Burke said. “We think Cleveland is an ideal place for a clash of ideas to happen, and we think the first day of the convention is the time when we can get our message across, so that many of the Republicans will realize how isolated and backward their thinking is.”
Toni Rozsahegyi, organizer for the anti-war group Code Pink, said she thinks safety concerns are being blown out of proportion, although she acknowledged that a single gunman killed five police officers in Dallas. “We’re just hoping and hoping that things will go smoothly,” she said.