The Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago. Approximately 50-thousand visitors are expected to descend on the United Center and McCormick Place in August.
The summer blockbuster is an economic boost. The DNC is estimated to bring $150-200 million to the city, which is still recovering economically from COVID-19.
However, the list of concerns about the Democrats’ house party is as long as the list of benefits.
Natalie Edelstein Jarvis, the Director of Communications for the Chicago DNC Host Committee, and Emily Soong, the Press Secretary for the Democratic National Convention Committee were front and center on Chicago Politics.
The DNC is considered a “national special security event,” which means the Secret Service will be in charge of safety inside the designated footprint of the convention, while Chicago police will be in charge of safety outside the footprint.
In and of itself, planning security for the event is a herculean task, but even more so following the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump.
I asked Edelstein Jarvis: What has been done to date to ensure safety? “Secret Service has been on the ground since we announced the bid,: she said. “On April 11, 2023, a full year ago, Secret Service touched down and started their planning.” Edelstein Jarvis said that means looking at all aspects of the convention: transportation, security in and around airports. She said every detail is being considered.
Chicago is no stranger to hosting the Democratic National Convention. The city has hosted 25 Republican and Democratic conventions. No other city has done nearly as many.
The last time the DNC was here was in 1996, when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term. The goal of that convention was to erase the violent memories of the 1968 convention— with its battles between police and protesters amid demonstrations about the Vietnam war, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
We’ve seen Pro-Palestinian demonstrations escalate on college campuses around the country, there’s the ongoing war in Ukraine, and continued unrest over the overwhelming number of asylum seekers being bused from the southern border to sanctuary cities like Chicago.
Some social justice groups that were denied permits to protest at the convention have said they’re going to demonstrate anyway. Soong said planners always expect protestors at the convention. “We (Democrats) know that everybody’s voice matters and we want to make sure that as much as we want to keep delegates safe, our visitors safe, we also want to make sure that those who are exercising their first amendment rights are also safe,” she said.
The DNC will be more than just four days of fanfare and prime-time speeches; it will also be as Alderman Gilbert Villegas serving the 36th Ward has said: an opportunity to boost and invest in our local businesses so they can benefit long past August.
“For the host committee, what we wanted to see, was that economic impact spread as wide as possible so as many people across the Chicagoland region is getting a piece of this economic pie,” Edelstein Jarvis said. “We have gone far and wide to source local diverse firms for our convention.”
The convention is also a public relations opportunity for Chicago; a city that too often gets sucker punched by mainstream media. “I think the Chicago that people see on the news is not the Chicago that real Chicagoans experience,” Soong said. “We want to make sure that everyone who comes through the city sees the best of what the city has to offer. Sees its people, the amazing people that power the city, and just really sees the love, and all the amazing things we see.”
The Democratic National Convention runs from August 19 to the 22nd. Chicago Politics is planning special coverage of the upcoming event. For more information, click HERE.