https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/08/15/dnc-protest-groups-cry-foul-
after-city-denies-permits-for-stage-sound-system-at-rallies-near-united-
center/

A coalition of activist groups planning a massive protest at the
Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week are crying foul after
Mayor Brandon Johnson�s administration issued last-minute denials of
requests to set up stages and sound systems for rallies in parks near the
United Center.

In an emergency petition filed in U.S. District Court late Wednesday, the
Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention, which has a
pending civil rights lawsuit against the city over protest preparations,
called the move a bait-and-switch violation of their constitutional
rights.

�The city�s efforts to deny at this late date the plaintiff�s request for
a stage and sound amplification system so speeches can be heard
unreasonably burdens plaintiff�s First Amendment rights without the city
creating a record that such restrictions serve a compelling governmental
interest,� the motion stated, asking U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood to
intervene.

The group is planning to hold a news conference at City Hall on Thursday
morning ahead of a hearing in the federal lawsuit at 1:30 p.m. A rally at
City Hall was scheduled for later in the day.

Protest leader Hatem Abudayyeh blasted the decision Thursday night. The
city may be providing equipment at a smaller park near the United Center,
but will not be doing so at Union Park, where the March on the DNC was set
to begin with speeches, he said.

�It�s essentially telling us, you can go to this thing and meet, but you
can�t have a program,� Abudayyeh said.

The latest controversy comes just days away from the kick-off of the
convention after the city responded by letter to two permit requests that
have been pending for more than seven months to be able to install stages
and sound equipment as well as portable toilets and other amenities in
Union Park and another smaller park along the planned protest route.

The letter, which was attached to the emergency motion, stated the rally
petitions were granted �subject to the following conditions: no stages or
platforms, portable restrooms or toilets, tents or canopies, or sound
equipment may be installed by your organization.�

The city said it was going to provide a stage and amplified sound at one
of the parks which will be used by multiple organizations during the four-
day event, and that allowing other groups to bring in their own equipment
would be �redundant.�

The letter, signed by Chicago Department of Transportation Assistant
Commissioner Bryan Gallardo, also cited myriad safety concerns, as tents
and porta potties can be used to conceal weapons or other illegal activity
and their materials can be broken down and used as weapons against the
police.

�While CDOT is not suggesting that your particular group will use these
items in these ways, their presence in the park could be abused by others
to harm members of the public or law enforcement officers,� the letter
read.

In their nine-page motion for an injection, however, the activist groups
say the real motive for the last-minute, �made-up process� was to try and
silence their protests against the Israeli military action in Gaza and
other concerns. Activists have estimated that as many as 20,000
participants from across the country could be in Chicago for the event.

�The DNC has an interest in minimizing the exposure of Democratic
officials to protests, particularly around the issues plaintiffs seeking
to protest,� the motion stated. �The reason the city is denying � the
opportunity to use stages and a sound system is because, at the behest of
the DNC, they do not want the speeches heard.�

The issue over the planned rallies is one of the final sticking points in
the long-running efforts to gain access to areas �within sight and sound�
of the United Center, which is serving as the main convention center.

Earlier this week, Wood ruled that she will not force City Hall to widen
and lengthen the protest route near the United Center, writing the city
has a �significant government interest� in controlling the expected crowds
for safety and security.

In her 24-page decision, Wood wrote the challenges to the alternate parade
route proposed by the city �boil down to a complaint� that City Hall
hasn�t offered �the exact route plaintiffs desire,� even though that route
�allows them to speak near their intended audience.�

�This falls well short of a First Amendment violation,� Wood wrote. �As
such, the alternative parade route represents an adequate alternative
channel of communication.�

The route, proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson�s administration last month,
calls for protesters to assemble in Union Park on the Near West Side
before marching west along Washington Boulevard to Hermitage Avenue, then
past a small park north of the United Center. The route then turns east on
Lake Street back to Union Park.

The march�s organizers had been fighting for a wider, longer path to the
convention center, including being allowed to stay on Washington Boulevard
instead of being diverted to smaller side streets. Other sticking points
continue to be where and when the groups involved will be able to stage a
rally near the United Center.

The two sides were still at odds in court last week, with plaintiffs�
attorney Chris Williams telling the judge they were �blindsided� by the
possibility that they might not be able to hold speeches in a park two
blocks north of the United Center.

Williams vowed to keep fighting for a plan for marches and speeches he
argued would be safer than what the city has proposed and better align
with his clients� First Amendment rights.

�The way the city is doing this is take-it-or-leave-it, �you do what we
say,�� Williams told Wood at the hearing on Aug. 5. �It�s not enough to
say, �You have a route, you�re going to live with it.� You�re going to
have chaos.�

At the most recent hearing on Tuesday, the judge said she could see why
the city�s last-minute maneuvering could be a cause for concern for the
plaintiffs.

�It does seem a bit odd to me that the park permit applications have been
pending so long without a response,� Wood said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Originally Published: August 15, 2024 at 8:56 a.m.

--
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