(Bloomberg) -- Chicago police made their first large arrest during this week’s gathering of Democratic leaders after Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with cops at a march that started just outside the Israeli Consulate.
At least 55 people were taken into custody Tuesday night after demonstrators marched into a line of police. The protesters had promised to “Shut Down the DNC for Gaza!” and “Make it Great, like ‘68,” when Vietnam War protests erupted into police brutality when Chicago hosted the convention.
“We will not allow people to come to this city, disrespect it and destroy it,” said Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling. “We expect the rest of the week to be better.”
Chicago had been preparing for a wave of protests since the city was awarded the convention about a year ago and some activist groups had promised that thousands of people would show up to protest the war in Gaza. Disruptions have threatened to upset the mood after the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket re-energized the Democratic party, but so far it has been largely muted.
On Tuesday night, police trailed demonstrators around Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood before making the arrests. The march, which wasn’t sanctioned by the city, started around 7 p.m. outside the Accenture Tower, the building that houses a main transportation hub and the Israeli Consulate.
Protesters marched directly at a line of police officers about 30 minutes after the march began. Officers using bicycles as a makeshift barricade were soon replaced by riot police with batons.
Even before the DNC, Chicago was already struggling with persistently high crime that’s outraged residents and businesses alike. The city has struggled to recover from the pandemic, with office vacancy rates still at a record.
“It’s time to get a handle on anyone who wants to wreak havoc on the city, people who are committing violent acts,” Snelling said. “It’s time to bring Chicago back to where we know it can be.”
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