Violent clash at DNC headquarters sparks concern over convention security

CHICAGO — A pro-Palestinian protest at Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., that turned violent is sending a jolt through political circles in Chicago, which plans to host the party's presidential nominating convention this summer.

The city still suffers scars of the bloody confrontations between police and anti-war protesters during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, when the clashes helped doom the party's nominee Hubert Humphrey.

Wednesday’s flare-up in Washington, in which six police officers were injured and several lawmakers had to be evacuated from DNC headquarters, has raised concerns that the increasingly heated divide over the Israel-Gaza conflict could bring violent protests to Chicago.

"We have to anticipate that there's a lot of tension and very passionate positions," said chief of staff to the mayor Rich Guidice, who is helping direct logistics for the 2024 convention. “There’s ongoing training already taking place, specifically in de-escalation training.”

Guidice, who talked to POLITICO after a meeting Thursday with Chicago Police Department officials about the convention, said the Chicago Police department is preparing for disruptions like the one in D.C.

"There will be many, many workshops and conversations on how to handle large crowds,” said Guidice.

Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which has applied for a permit for 1,000 people to protest at the convention over Israel's actions in Gaza, said his group isn’t going to the convention to pick a fight. He blames D.C. police for escalating the confrontation.

“It’s up to the police. Look at what happened in 1968,” he said, referring to the police in riot gear beating protesters, an indelible image captured on television. “We are planning to keep things family friendly, but we don’t know what the police are planning. We aren’t going to get into fistfights with police. We are going to air our grievances.”

Chicago has also seen dozens of protests, rallies and vigils since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, some with a few thousand participants showing support for both Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Earlier this week, hundreds of activists, most of them Jewish, rallied near the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. Police said the protest was peaceful, though they arrested 106 demonstrators.

Training is key, said former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who now serves as ambassador to Japan. “We did months of training for NATO, and it was a model for future big events everywhere,” he said in a text message.

Guidice agreed that preparations for the 2012 NATO Summit are a model for Chicago handling large protests. That year, police in riot gear faced off for hours with thousands of anti-war protesters who had swooped in from across the country to voice their opposition to the organization. Some 50 protesters were arrested, including three accused of inciting terrorism.

Chicago has a long history of large peaceful protests, including opposition to the Iraq war and outrage over the fatal shooting by a police officer of a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald.

“We’re used to these big events. We handle big demonstrations with negotiation and respect and make sure people stay nonviolent and peaceful,” said a person within Chicago law enforcement who did not have the authority to speak on the record. “We want to make sure people are able to exercise their First Amendment rights. That’s a top concern.”

But if laws are broken, “we respond accordingly.”

Convention organizers expressed confidence in the city's planning.

“The safety and security of convention delegates and guests is a top priority," Democratic convention organizers said in a statement. "We are closely coordinating with law enforcement overseeing security, including planning for expression of First Amendment rights, and we look forward to hosting what we are confident will be a safe and successful convention."

The Democratic National Convention is designated as a National Special Security Event, just like presidential inaugurations, the Olympics and the Super Bowl.

The federal designation allows the U.S. Secret Service to coordinate “a whole of government approach to all aspects of safety and security for attendees, residents and visitors,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service and Chicago police alum, said in a statement to POLITICO.

“While the convention is planned for next summer, teams have been on the ground in Chicago for months preparing an intricate security plan with the full weight of the federal, state and city government," he said.

Along with the Secret Service, that includes local law enforcement, the FBI and departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Chicago police have experience working closely with federal officials for the eight years of former President Barack Obama’s terms when he would return to Chicago, Guidice said. Each visit required coordination with multiple law enforcement agencies.

The cross-agency planners try to take into account every variable, though they are still sometimes taken by surprise. One such instance took place during Obama’s inauguration, when more than a thousand attendees carrying purple tickets to witness his swearing in were stuck in a D.C. tunnel, now sometimes called “the purple tunnel of doom.”