As Democratic Party leaders and delegates gather in Chicago for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, attention is focused on the party’s presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
However, just blocks away from the festivities, Chicago’s ongoing struggles with violence and policy failures are casting a shadow over the event, according to former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Gene Roy.
Roy, who now works as a public safety consultant, expressed concern about the stark contrast between the high-profile convention at the United Center and the harsh realities faced by many Chicago residents. “There’s a lot of ironies associated with the DNC being held at the United Center,” Roy told Fox News, pointing out the disconnect between the convention’s grandeur and the city’s persistent issues.
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Just weeks before the convention, tragedy struck a few blocks away when 7-year-old Jai’Mani Rivera was fatally shot by a stray bullet outside his mother’s home on Jackson Avenue.
Despite responding officers’ efforts to save his life, the young boy died from his injuries.
The suspect, a 16-year-old with a violent history, had been moving freely despite being under juvenile probation. Roy criticized the Juvenile Probation Department, which reports to the chief judge of the Cook County Court system, for failing to take action when the suspect violated his home confinement.
“That is a sign of all that’s wrong in Chicago right now,” Roy said, highlighting the incident as emblematic of the city’s broader public safety challenges.
Meanwhile, as the Democratic National Convention unfolds with fanfare, Roy described it as “window dressing” designed to distract from these ongoing issues.
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He likened the optics of the convention to “medieval royalty removed from the masses, protected by a castle.”
“I find the whole DNC convention here as an example of the elitism of the Democratic Party,” Roy remarked. “The politicians are inside a heavily fortified building, almost like a castle. They’re feasting on the best of food and liquor while protected by hundreds of armed police officers and two separate fences.”
Outside the convention, tensions have flared between protesters and law enforcement. On Monday evening, demonstrators clashed with police, shouting at officers to go home. However, Roy noted that the officers had no choice in the matter, as their days off had been canceled, and their shifts extended to ensure the event’s security.
“They’re working a minimum of 12 hours, and that’s not including time to and from work,” Roy said. He expressed concern about the impact this is having on the officers, stating that it adds to their stress and leaves them with little time to recover. “Is this the way we want to treat our officers? Do we want officers who are sleep-deprived, burnt out, confronting protesters in a volatile situation?”
During Monday’s protests, demonstrators managed to breach a portion of the anti-scale fencing around the convention’s outer perimeter near the United Center but were quickly contained by law enforcement.
Democrats have now built three layers of walls outside their convention to protect themselves.
The same Democrats that have spent 3.5 years leaving our southern border wide open.
Building walls is good when they’re protecting Democrats but evil when they protect our border. pic.twitter.com/ohvoPBBM3n
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 20, 2024
The DNC Public Safety Joint Information Center issued a statement confirming that at no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees.
In another incident at Union Park, protesters set up tents, which were later removed after police ordered them to disperse. Officers were seen holding signs that read, “You are being ordered to disperse by the Chicago Police Department.”
This evening at Union Park in Chicago, police held up dispersal orders on posters as activists set up tents for a pro-Palestine encampment.
Rather than face arrests or violence, the activists took down their tents and mostly dispersed.
Three days of protest remain. pic.twitter.com/Vjz0TB7LSS
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) August 20, 2024
DNC organizers have defended the stringent security measures, noting that they are standard procedure for national special security events, as mandated by the Secret Service.
However, Roy emphasized that Chicago’s public safety and quality of life struggles are unique and cannot be ignored.
He criticized officials who continue to deny that crime is a significant problem, arguing that their inaction does nothing to help victims or their families.
While the protests outside the DNC have not reached the level of the infamous 1968 clashes between anti-Vietnam War protesters and city police, organizers plan to continue demonstrating throughout the convention.
Protests are scheduled outside the Israeli consulate on Tuesday, with a march past the United Center planned for Thursday as the convention comes to a close.
As the Democratic National Convention continues, the contrast between the celebratory atmosphere inside the United Center and the ongoing challenges facing Chicago serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to address the city’s pressing issues.
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