How Cleveland handled security, protesters at 2016 RNC. Few arrests, small crowds.
CLEVELAND - When the Republican National Convention comes to Milwaukee this summer, it is sure to be a spectacle.
Every four years, host cities for national political conventions grapple with how to balance free speech rights with the need to keep everyone involved safe. The multi-day event poses heightened security risks but also unique opportunities for people to voice their opinions on a national stage before an audience of some of the most powerful political figures in the country.
The Republican convention, set to take place at Fiserv Forum in mid-July, will bring thousands of police officers from outside the city and tens of thousands of visitors, ranging from vehement opponents of the presumptive nominee, former President Donald Trump, to his loyal supporters.
Past conventions have seen scores of protesters and marchers descend on the area surrounding the convention, some of the protests ending without much disruption and others punctuated by bursts of vandalism, violence or mass arrests.
At the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, the widespread violence predicted by some did not come to pass — only about two dozen people were arrested over the four-day event. Compare that to 2008, when more than 800 people, including dozens of journalists, were rounded up by police in mass arrests outside the RNC in St. Paul, most of whom were never charged, according to the Star Tribune.
Milwaukee security zone details still under wraps
In Milwaukee, officials have not yet detailed the restrictions that will be in place within the less-than-square-mile security footprint surrounding the convention venues. Within that footprint will be an even smaller, fenced-in area encircling the convention venues and accessible only to those with credentials. The three venues are Fiserv, Baird Center and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The city has yet to release the route where protesters will be allowed to march within the security footprint, which must come "within sight and sound" of the convention. Nor has it announced the location of the speaker's platform, where people can sign up to reserve time to speak. City officials have signaled a "likely candidate" is Pere Marquette Park, the grassy space at West State Street and North King Drive.
Local activists have voiced concerns about whether Pere Marquette is close enough for protesters to be heard by convention-goers and whether they'll be able to march close enough to the convention venues. Meanwhile, the RNC has asked for the speaker's platform to be moved farther away, so convention participants do not have to walk directly past protesters to reach the venues.
More: What we know (so far) about how the RNC will impact those who live and work in downtown Milwaukee
Similar concerns voiced at Cleveland RNC
Similar concerns were raised during convention planning in Cleveland. The measures imposed in the security perimeter surrounding the convention venues were criticized by civil rights groups for being too restrictive.
Civil rights groups faulted Cleveland's parade route for not being closer to the convention site and for being available only during times of the day when delegates likely would not hear them, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Cleveland's parade route started west of downtown, traveled across a bridge and passed near Progressive Field, one of the convention venues.
Meanwhile, Cleveland's speaker's platform was set up in downtown's Public Square, about two blocks from the convention site at the then-Quicken Loans Arena.
Details of some restrictions, including Cleveland's parade route, were released less than two months before the start of the convention. A lawsuit filed against Cleveland in federal court sought to shrink the size of the 3.5-square-mile security footprint and force the city to provide alternate parade routes, among other changes.
A federal judge called the security zone "unduly large" and considered the city's restrictions to be in violation of the Constitution. As part of a settlement, the city agreed to reduce the size of the security perimeter and to adjust its parade route, lengthening it slightly and extending the parade times somewhat.
In Wisconsin, the American Civil Liberties Union has urged authorities to reveal the parade route, the location of the speaker's platform and the final boundaries of the security perimeter as soon as possible, to allow for possible objections based on free speech grounds. At past conventions, including in Cleveland, time constraints limited what cities could do to address issues involving First Amendment rights.
Like other recent host cities, Cleveland designated an official parade route and a speaker's platform. But people still were allowed to march and make speeches outside of those areas, even within the security perimeter, as long as they did not block vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
Some of the streets within Cleveland's security perimeter were closed to vehicles, especially roads surrounding the convention site.
Protesters were free to go directly up to the fence surrounding Cleveland's convention site, beyond which they were not allowed without credentials, and speak directly to delegates or protest, as long as they didn't block the entrances.
Cleveland RNC drew smaller than expected crowds
Leading up to 2016 RNC in Cleveland, civil rights groups also were concerned that police would use excessive force with protesters and tactics that would chill free speech or prevent people from exercising their free speech rights.
"We had seen on prior occasions protesters arrested and held in jail for the purpose of keeping them off the street, of course a blatant First Amendment violation," said Jacqueline Greene, a civil rights attorney who in 2016 was the co-coordinator of the executive committee of the National Lawyers Guild's Ohio chapter, a left-leaning group.
By 2016, the Cleveland police were under federal oversight following an investigation that found a pattern of excessive force by officers.
During the convention, a massive police force made up of officers from not only Cleveland but around the country was deployed onto downtown streets.
Cleveland officers took a low key approach
Former Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said officers took a "hands-off" approach, where police would not intervene unless someone was destroying property or hurting others. Cleveland relied heavily on units of bike cops and officers mounted on horses to monitor protests, in some cases deploying officers to use their bikes to physically split up opposing crowds when tensions boiled over.
"Whoever is coming in to assist with the convention, they all have to be on the same page," he said. "They have to understand what the posture is going to be. Are we going to be paramilitary standing there, or are we going to be walking around saying 'hi' to folks?"
Ultimately, arrests were minimal, only about two dozen. Most arrests were in connection to a flag-burning demonstration, which a judge later reaffirmed was protected speech. Charges against those people were dismissed.
While Williams said having enough manpower was key, Greene, the civil rights attorney, believes the heavy police presence likely deterred many people from exercising their First Amendment rights.
"I don’t think that heavy presence of those officers is necessarily a positive thing," Greene said. "People felt intimidated."
On top of the police presence, she said the restrictions inside the security perimeter and dire predictions about what might transpire had the effect of "chilling" free speech and keeping away people who wanted to express their viewpoints.
“At the end of the day, the crowds were smaller than everyone expected," Greene said. “A lot of people who wanted to come didn’t come."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How RNC security and free speech concerns were handled in Cleveland
