Milwaukee protesters share new RNC march route for Monday

Milwaukee protest organizers have shared a slightly revised route for Monday's march outside the Republican National Convention, reporting that they reached a "handshake agreement" on the route with Milwaukee police and the City Attorney's Office to deviate entirely from the city's sanctioned march route.

City officials did not confirm an agreement Friday. City Attorney Evan Goyke said while the city is not moving its sanctioned route, his office's staff met with the protest group about their planned route and are working to ensure it goes "smoothly and safely."

A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department didn't answer questions Friday about whether police had approved the group's route, saying that the department is working with the group "to ensure they have the opportunity to safely express their First Amendment rights."

Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024, said Friday he was confident the march would not be "impeded by the police."

The route avoids the U.S. Secret Service's credentials-only "hard" security zone around the convention. But it permeates the broader soft security zone governed by the city's extraordinary event ordinance, which establishes certain areas where protests will be allowed, including a "parade" route for marches.

Organizers of Monday's march have emphasized the importance of being able to protest near Fiserv Forum, where delegates are expected to officially name former President Donald Trump as their nominee for the November election. The city's designated parade route is over four blocks from Fiserv, starting and ending at Zeidler Union Square Park.

With representation from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Coalition sued the city last month and demanded that they be allowed to march within "sight and sound" of Fiserv Forum, including through a portion of the hard zone where West Kilbourn Avenue crosses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

After losing that bid Monday, the coalition shared their own march route on Tuesday that takes marchers down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, about a block from Fiserv, and circles back across the Milwaukee River to avoid the hard zone. The new route shared Friday is mostly identical, with a revision to the south end of the route that takes the protesters down Plankinton Avenue instead of 2nd Street. That allows the marchers to avoid overlap with the city's designated parade route, where there could be other protest groups.

Goyke said the city’s designated route, which is scheduled to be used by multiple other groups, was established to ensure that streets will be clear for protesters, while other areas will be needed for vehicle access.

Goyke said his staff met with the Coalition after seeing the group's repeated statements in the press that they intended to use their own route. “We have an obligation as a city to make sure it is done safely," he said, adding that he and other staff from his office will be present during protests throughout the week.

At a press conference Friday, Flores said the meetings with city officials represented a victory of the group's pressure tactics, including its lawsuit and attention from the media.

"We were able to come to this agreement with the city because we fought for it; they weren't just going to hand it to us," Flores said, adding, "We gave the city no choice but to have to engage with us to allow for a family-friendly protest that will go without being impeded."

The Coalition to March on the RNC, which expects to draw thousands of marchers on Monday, consists of local and national organizations including the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee.

More: 'If we don't, who will?': Local organizers share why they're marching against the Milwaukee RNC

While the groups' individual missions vary, some of the coalition's shared goals include defending immigrant, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and standing with Palestinians. Many are also disillusioned with President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, and participated in the Coalition to March on the DNC in 2020.

Journal Sentinel reporters Alison Dirr, Tristan Hernandez and Quinn Clark contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's the new route that RNC protesters will use downtown Monday