As political convention comes to Chicago, residents, leaders and activists vie for the spotlight

CHICAGO -- As the American city that has hosted more political conventions than any other, Chicago has pretty much seen it all.

Presidential candidates have been made official in Chicago more than two dozen times since Abraham Lincoln in 1860, including the infamous 1968 convention, where police clashed with protesters, and Bill Clinton’s 1996 renomination.

Now the nation’s third-largest city is back on the global political stage as it hosts the Democratic National Convention starting Monday, with city leaders, residents and activists each hoping to claim time in the spotlight and shape the city’s reputation.

Tourism officials are eager to highlight the best sites and eats, while allaying security concerns about crowds and street violence. Anti-war protesters, drawing from the area’s large Palestinian population, are ready to march. And elected leaders say it’s an historic opportunity to be the city where a woman of color, Vice President Kamala Harris, will be designated to lead a presidential ticket for the first time.

“It’s a remarkable testament to who we are as a people, and hosting the world yet again where major history will take place by launching the first Black woman of Asian descent to the most powerful post in the world,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told The Associated Press. “Chicago gets to do that.”

But not everyone sees it that way.

Even though there have been convention highs, such as the 1996 convention going off largely without a hitch, comparisons to the 1968 convention are inescapable, especially as disapproval of U.S. support for war in Gaza grows.

Lee Weiner, 85, is the last living member of the “Chicago Seven” activists who were tried for organizing an anti-Vietnam War protest outside the 1968 convention, where bloody clashes with police were captured on live television.

Weiner said the protests changed the course of his life.

The sociologist wrote a memoir about his experiences growing up in Chicago and sitting for the high-profile trial. Weiner said he thinks people are now more divided than ever and that police tactics haven’t really changed.

“Echoes of that time are very much a part of our day to day now,” Weiner said. “If you’re going to be out in the streets, you should watch your ass.”

Chicago has been preparing for more than a year, with extensive police training and security drills ahead of the event that’s expected to draw 50,000 people, including thousands of anti-war activists.

Johnson says his leadership — as a Black man and former union organizer — shows how things are different, and that Chicago will accommodate First Amendment rights.

But anxiety that things might take a turn remain.

Some downtown businesses boarded up their windows this week while Cook County courts added more space and hours in anticipation of mass arrests during the convention.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Chicago has held many large-scale events without problems, including the NATO convention in 2012. He touted the department’s training for constitutional policing and de-escalation tactics as critical to the city's security plan.

The department faced strong criticism for being unprepared in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis in 2020, when civil unrest broke out nationwide.

But Snelling said that was a different situation — Chicago's police are prepared for planned protests during the DNC — and that the department has learned many lessons.

“We’ve evolved as a department. We’ve evolved in training,” Snelling told the AP this week. “You look at 1968; I think anyone who’s still around from that time will tell you that officers didn’t have the training or the preparedness to deal with that type of situation.”

Protests are expected every day of the convention, with the overarching message being a call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza. Activists say Chicago is the ideal location because demonstrations will draw from the city's southwest suburbs, where the largest concentrations of Palestinians nationwide reside.

“It’s not hyperbole to say the genocide is affecting the people of Chicago on a very personal level,” said Muhammad Sankari, an organizer. “Because of that, it’s a moral imperative for us to be organizing and bringing our demands to the doorstep of the Democratic Party.”

Some Chicago residents are also hoping to seize the chance.

Bradly Johnson leads an anti-violence organization, BUILD Chicago, on the West Side, not far from the United Center where the convention will take place. For months during after-school and weekend programming, his group has cited the upcoming convention in teaching young people about the democratic process.

He’s hoping the thousands of party leaders coming to Chicago will also learn from young people.

“It’s an opportunity for Chicago to demonstrate that although there are shootings, that’s not the totality of who we are,” he said.

Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois said excitement around the convention — the city’s 26th for a major party— was clear.

Her phone has been buzzing with friends and acquaintances looking for tickets since Harris became the presumptive nominee. Adding to the hype, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker had been under consideration as Harris' running mate.

Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, said it was fitting that Harris would accept the nomination in Chicago, where former President Barack Obama started his political career.

“We have a tradition in this city of men and women moving forward for new horizons,” she said.

Tourism officials were also excited about boosting revenue.

Conventions of a similar size in other cities have generated as much as $200 million for hotels, restaurants and retailers, according to Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing organization.

“We’re like a ‘Type A’ personality,” said Rich Gamble, the interim president of Choose Chicago. “We have expectations of ourselves. If you’re here, we want the best version to be seen and the best behaviors.”