With thousands of anti-Israel protesters expected to descend on the Windy City for next week’s Democratic National Convention, downtown Chicago businesses have begun boarding up their doors and windows.
The century-old Garland Building at Wabash and Washington streets was covered in plywood and 2-by-4 boards Friday, like many other businesses along the Loop, the city’s main business district. NBC Chicago reported:.
Scott Shapiro, owner of Sid Jerome’s men’s clothing store on Clark Street, said his store has been looted by vandals four times in the past and he wasn’t taking any chances at the rally, which is expected to draw thousands of protesters.
“When I get a call in the middle of the night, my heart just jumps out of my chest,” he told the outlet.
“We want to sleep a little better at night and have a little bit more peace of mind. Obviously we hope that it never happens, but if it does happen we want the maximum amount of protection,” Shapiro explained.
Shapiro said the store will remain open, but the sign will remain up for the duration of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from Aug. 19-22. He said he wouldn’t hesitate to temporarily close the store if there were any signs of problems.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “Most retailers are eternal optimists. They always think tomorrow will be better than today, and they always hope for the best, but that doesn’t always happen.”
Earlier this month, Chicago officials gave the go-ahead for an anti-Israel group to hold a “March to the Democratic National Convention” near Chicago’s United Center after the group filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the city for trying to restrict the demonstration.
Protest organizers He told NBC News Tens of thousands of people from several states are expected to take to the streets of Chicago after Democratic delegates nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate.
“We’re not going to do anything differently. We’re going to mobilize,” said Hatem Abdayeh, national chair and organizer of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network advocacy group.
“Harris represents the administration, she represents Biden. She’s not making any representations,” he added.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson assured business owners and residents that the city was preparing for unrest.
“There’s a reason Time Out magazine rated Chicago the best city for conventions: we’re great at hosting conventions,” he told reporters Friday morning.
“Who wants to ruin the beauty of Chicago? Of course someone does.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has denied concerns that this year’s Democratic National Convention could turn into a riot like the 1968 Chicago convention, which was also a time of widespread anti-war protests across the country.
“We have a pretty good feeling about the situation. The only concern, of course, is whether we have enough space, whether we have enough protection in certain areas of the city,” he told NBC Chicago.
These are all [Chicago Police] director [Larry] “Mr. Snelling and the people who have been organizing this tournament for the last year and a half have been thinking about this and planning for it,” he added.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told NBC News that the Democratic National Convention has been designated a “national security event,” “the highest security designation the United States can give.”
In a statement, the FBI said it was “not aware of any specific, demonstrable threats related to the DNC.”
