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Cleveland Prepares for Protests at Republican National Convention Cleveland Prepares for Protests at Republican National Convention
(about 9 hours later)
CLEVELAND — Crowds of protesters were expected to pack the streets of downtown Cleveland on Sunday just as Republicans were arriving for Monday’s kickoff of the Republican National Convention. CLEVELAND — The barricades were up and the police were ready, but the rowdy protests expected to descend on Cleveland for the Republican National Convention this week were contained to small pockets of unrest amid largely peaceful demonstrations across the city.
The groups expected to descend on the city were focused on a range of agendas. A coalition of activists planned to hold a “Shut Down Trump and the R.N.C.” march to oppose the nomination of Donald J. Trump. The group wants to march through downtown to City Hall and the area outside the Quicken Loans Arena, where delegates will meet to vote on the party’s nominee. But pro-Trump rallies are also planned. At the height of the protests early Sunday evening about 200 demonstrators marched down Euclid Avenue in the heart of downtown Cleveland, stopping traffic and shouting “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” as they neared the convention center. The crowd, which was also directing its ire at Donald J. Trump, was circled by police officers in cars and on bicycles and horseback.
Despite concerns about widespread unrest, the city’s mayor, Frank G. Jackson, said officials were intent on keeping people out of danger while also preventing damage to city property. Some protesters said that they were handled roughly by the police and there were reports of thrown being rocks and people being detained..
And the police chief, Calvin D. Williams, said his officers planned to act with restraint but expected to face difficult situations during the protests, which are anticipated to continue through the end of the convention on Thursday. “They pushed us against the wall and said we are going to search your bags,” said Cloud Kallsti, 43, from Akron.
The protesters were animated by both Mr. Trump and the recent violent confrontations between the police and civilians. While some protesters spilled into the streets, there were few signs of the violence or mass arrests that the authorities feared, giving the day a feeling of relative calm before a potential storm.
Some of the gatherings had an almost ceremonial feel, such as when a group of about 300 people arrived at Hope Memorial Bridge along the Cuyahoga River to silently hold hands and ask for peace. Many of those attending the event wore T-shirts that said “Stand for Love.”
Ginny May-Schiros, 57, a middle-school teacher, said she came to the bridge with the hope that the circle would invoke some calmness during a time of great division.
“I think it’s so easy to give into fear and hate,” Ms. May-Schiros, of Lakewood, Ohio, said. “We need to come together and find solutions. There is a better way.”
A supporter of Hillary Clinton, she said that she does not believe Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will bring people with differing opinions together for the good of the country.
The tone was a bit more tense at a park in eastern Cleveland, where about 100 protesters gathered and remained relatively calm except for the occasional burst of profanity.
The demonstrators carried signs proclaiming to “Shut Down Trump,” “Jail Racist Cops,” “Black Lives Matter” and “Jews Against Trump: #WeveSeenThisBefore.” They marched slowly out of eastern Cleveland toward the convention center.
The coalition of protesters was broad, including some from Black Lives Matter, a pro-Palestine group, and Code Pink, an all-female group whose members showed up wearing pink Statue of Liberty costumes.
Marching alongside the protesters was a volunteer group calling themselves the “Peace Team,” dressed in bright yellow jerseys and said they were around to keep the peace.
Despite the general civility on Sunday, the police are expecting the protests to intensify throughout the week.
City officials have devised intricate plans to handle mass arrests should chaos break out on the streets, identifying jail facilities that could house more than 975 arrested protesters and keeping courts open for 20 hours daily to process cases. Hospitals have stockpiled medical supplies and prepared for convention-related emergencies.City officials have devised intricate plans to handle mass arrests should chaos break out on the streets, identifying jail facilities that could house more than 975 arrested protesters and keeping courts open for 20 hours daily to process cases. Hospitals have stockpiled medical supplies and prepared for convention-related emergencies.
Cleveland is bringing in roughly 2,500 law enforcement officers from as far away as California, Florida and Texas to bolster its convention-dedicated force of about 500. It is also deploying a video unit to document crowd management and police activity.Cleveland is bringing in roughly 2,500 law enforcement officers from as far away as California, Florida and Texas to bolster its convention-dedicated force of about 500. It is also deploying a video unit to document crowd management and police activity.
The Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild said the city bought 2,000 sets of riot gear, 2,000 steel batons, 24 sets of bulletproof vests and helmets and 10,000 sets of plastic handcuffs. As protesters began arriving in the city on Sunday, the organization was planning to give people legal training to ensure that the police do not violate protesters’ rights. Calvin D. Williams, Cleveland’s police chief, said at a news conference on Sunday morning that the city could not be better prepared.
But not all of the events were expected to be raucous. One aimed to gather people at a bridge near the convention hall to silently hold hands for 30 minutes of “peaceful reflection.” “We planned for almost anything and everything,” said he said. “It’s game time to coin a phrase from the Cavs. It’s game time. We are ready for it.”