Protests at the Democratic Party convention. What's the deal Mayor Johnson?

Chicago denies permits to march.

It’s only February and the Democratic Party national convention, already set up to nominate the octogenarian Joe Biden, is not until August 19th.

But stuff is already hitting the fan.

This will be the second time Democrats have met here since the whole world was watching in 1968.

The last time they gathered here was 1996 and nominated Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

There were demonstrations then, but nothing wild like ‘68.

And in 2024 Chicago is supposedly a different city since the first Mayor Daley ran this joint with an iron fist.

Yesterday the activist priest Father Michael Phleger and dozens of people advocating for Chicago's unhoused protested outside of The Union League Club of Chicago in anticipation of the Democratic National Convention.

They are demanding the DNC and the administration of President Joe Biden pony up and commit to helping Chicago's homeless population before coming to the City.

"We don’t want you to come here, spend millions, leave here and we got the same damn situation before you came here," said Father Michael Pfleger, who hosted the demonstration. "We say to the government, if you want to come into Chicago, and you want to come in and do a big convention where millions of dollars will be spent on parties and lobbyists and on hotels, restaurants... Well come also with millions of dollars and a commitment to do something with homelessness in America.”

According to Chicago's Coalition for the homeless, 68,440 people in Chicago experienced homelessness in 2021.

According to Chicago Public Schools 12,000 students are in temporary living situations this year.

Yesterday’s protest comes the same week the U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion military aid package to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan.

Meanwhile the Brandon Johnson administration has denied several organizations permits to protest at the United Center where the convention will take place.

So maybe Chicago hasn’t changed all that much.

Don Rose, Chicago veteran progressive and one of the organizers of the protests in 1968, posted on his Facebook page:

As to the convention, at least three different groups, none really huge, want to demonstrate for their issues before the convention delegates—preferably within eyeshot or earshot. The routes of march proposed by two local groups have been summarily rejected by the city’s transportation department and less visible reroutes imposed for ridiculous reasons—echoing the behavior of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s administration in 1968. Although I was in a central role in 1968, I have no affiliation with any of the groups and actually have questions about the wisdom of some. I am not specifying their issues other than to say they are legitimate and nonviolent.

Nonetheless, they have a right to demonstrate peacefully and to get reasonably close to the United Center where the convention is being held or to the hotels where delegates are lodged. It was the continued rebuffs of those rights that eventually led to the police riot of 1968. This is not what I expect of a mayor who calls himself a progressive. Wake up Brandon!

Ironically, however, the application of a third group from out of state, was apparently overlooked and the deadline for the municipal response passed, which automatically allows that group to get right up near the United Center. Thus the city not only looks stupidly repressive but incompetent as well.

In addition to the homeless crisis in America, another protest will be directed as Biden’s support for Israel in their slaughter of Palestinian innocents.

Brandon Johnson is no Richard Daley, of course. But Rose is right.

Many of us are surprised that a self-described progressive mayor and his self-described progressive administration would take steps to deny the right to gather and protest.

And without a word from those that call themselves progressives in the Chicago City Council.

Prohibiting protests? At a Chicago Democratic Party national convention no less.