CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� Thousands of activists are expected to converge on Chicago this week for the , hoping to call attention to abortion rights, economic injustice and the .
While Vice President Kamala Harris crowds of supporters as she prepares to accept the Democratic nomination, progressive activists maintain their mission remains the same.
Activists say they from last month鈥檚 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and are predicting bigger crowds and more robust demonstrations in Chicago, a city with deep social activism roots.
Who is pro
testing?
Demonstrations are expected every day of the convention and, while their agendas vary, many activists agree an immediate cease-fire in the is the priority.
Things kicked off Sunday on the convention's eve with a march along Michigan Avenue against the war in Gaza and for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. The march began in late afternoon and stretched into the night.
Police lined the march route and there were no signs of major conflict. At one point, anti-abortion activists staged a small counter-protest.
Police did not immediately respond to an email asking if there had been arrests more than three hours into the march.
Organizer Linda Loew said even though Democrats have pushed to safeguard reproductive rights at home, the issue is international. They marched in solidarity with people everywhere who struggle for the right to control what happens to their bodies, as well as to protest the that could be used for healthcare, she said.
鈥淲e believe that the billions of dollars that continue to flow to the state of Israel and the flow of weapons are having an inordinate and horrific impact, but in particular on women, children and the unborn,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll of these things are tied together.鈥�
The largest group, the Coalition to March on the DNC, has planned demonstrations on the first and last days of the convention.
Organizers say they expect at least 20,000 activists, who protested the war on college campuses.
鈥淭he people with power are going to be there,鈥� said Liz Rathburn, a University of Illinois Chicago student organizer. 鈥淧eople inside the United Center are the people who are going to be deciding our foreign policy in one way or another."
Where are they protesting?
Activists sued the city earlier this year, saying restrictions over where they can demonstrate violate their constitutional rights.
Chicago leaders rejected their requests for permits to protest near United Center on the city鈥檚 West Side, where the convention is taking place, offering instead a lakefront park more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.
Later, the city agreed to allow demonstrations at a park and a march route closer to the United Center. A federal judge recently signed off on the group's roughly 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) route.
Coalition to March on the DNC spokesman Hatem Abudayyeh said the group is pleased it won the right to protest closer to the convention, but he believes its preferred 2-mile (3-kilometer) march would be safer for larger crowds. The group is chartering buses for activists from about half a dozen states.
鈥淲e're going forward, full speed ahead,鈥� he said.
The city has designated a park about a block from United Center for a speakers' stage. Those who sign up get 45 minutes.
The Philadelphia-based Poor People鈥檚 Army, which advocates for economic justice, plans to set up at Humboldt Park on the city鈥檚 Northwest Side and will feature events with third-party candidates and plus a 3-mile (5 kilometer) march Monday to the United Center.
Some group members have spent the last few weeks marching the more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Milwaukee, where they protested during .
鈥淧oor and homeless people are being brutalized, with tents and encampments destroyed and bulldozed away, from San Francisco to Philadelphia to Gaza and the West Bank,鈥� spokesperson Cheri Honkala said in a statement as the group reached Illinois. 鈥淭hese preventable human rights violations are being committed by Democratic and Republican leaders alike.鈥�
How does a new nominee change things?
Many activists believe nothing much will change because Harris is part of the Biden administration.
鈥淭he demands haven鈥檛 changed. I haven鈥檛 seen any policy changes,鈥� said Erica Bentley, an activist with Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to be here, you鈥檙e going to have to listen to what鈥檚 important to us.鈥�
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago have been highly visible, roads to the airport and staging sit-ins at congressional offices. Some are planning their own one-day convention Sunday with third-party candidates.
鈥淩egardless of who the nominee is, we鈥檙e marching against the Democrats and their vicious policies that have allowed Israel to kill over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza,鈥� said Fayaani Aboma Mijana, an organizer with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
It's unclear if the convention will draw far-right extremists who ardently support former President Donald Trump.
Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer said last week there are no known specific security threats against the convention.
Is Chicago ready?
The convention will draw an estimated 50,000 people to the nation's third-largest city, including delegates, activists and journalists.
The city says it has made necessary preparations with police and the Secret Service. Security will be tight, with street closures around the convention center.
To combat traffic concerns, city leaders are touting a new steps from the United Center. They also have tried to beautify the city with freshly planted flowers and new signs. City leaders also .
on constitutional policing, county courts say they are opening more space in anticipation of mass arrests and hospitals near the security zone are beefing up emergency preparedness.
Authorities and leaders in the state have said people who vandalize the city or are violent will be arrested.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make sure that people have their First Amendment rights protected, that they can do that in a safe way,鈥� Mayor Brandon Johnson told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
But some have lingering safety concerns, worried that protests could become unpredictable or devolve into chaos.
Activist Hy Thurman protested and was arrested at the . The 74-year-old now lives in Alabama but plans to come to Chicago to protest the war in Gaza.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely personal for me," he said. 鈥淚 see parallels.鈥�
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has said that he expects peaceful protests.
鈥淲e intend to protect the protesters' First Amendment rights, and also the residents of the city of Chicago and the visitors to Chicago at the same time,鈥� Pritzker told the AP in a recent interview.
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Associated Press video journalist Melissa Perez Winder contributed to this report.
Sophia Tareen, The Associated Press
