Free Republic

Focus will be split when the Democratic National Convention arrives in Chicago. Inside the United Center, attendees and TV viewers will be glued to the Harris-Walz ticket. But when cameras pan outside, eyes will shift to protesters. Protest groups have been gearing up for months to take advantage of the attention coming to Chicago. They have planned at least seven large demonstrations, with more rallies unsanctioned by the city likely to come. ...

Roughly 100,000 far-left, Israel-hating protesters will be descending on Chicago this week, sowing chaos as Democratic leaders rally around their new presidential ticket. At least seven large rallies and marches are set to take place in the Windy City while the McCormick Place Convention Center hosts Democratic National Convention, organizers said. And other rallies are also expected even though their organizers have not scored necessary city permits. The causes run the gamut of radical leftist causes, including backing Hamas terrorists and ending US aid to Israel. The convention runs Monday through Thursday, but the protests begin Sunday with a march...

Some protest groups are predicting 100,000 demonstrators during the Democratic National Convention next week. File that one under the "I'll believe it when I see it" category. The city and law enforcement authorities are keeping mum about their predictions of crowd size for the demonstrations but the more rational protest organizers are saying between 30,000 to 40,000 people are expected to march. That's still an awfully large number for the Chicago Police Department to handle when you consider the immense area they're going to have to protect. Chicago business owners at "Ground Zero" of the protests — the West Loop...

CHICAGO — A number of businesses in the city’s business district have covered windows and doors with plywood to better protect the buildings should demonstrations during next week’s Democratic National Convention turn unruly. Crews with a business called Chicago Board Up Services say they’ve boarded up at least a dozen locations around the West Loop, downtown and Daley Plaza and have plans to work on additional businesses weekend. “If you feel you’re in any type of line where you feel there’s going to be a lot of commotion — we’re not pushing it — we’re hoping the city will be...

Chicago’s top migrant official is walking back a prediction from city leaders last month that tens of thousands of migrants would arrive by bus ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, saying that there is no “credible intel” that the feared surge will occur. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s deputy mayor for immigration, Beatriz Ponce de León, told reporters in July the city was preparing for as many as 25,000 migrant arrivals tied to the DNC. But President Joe Biden’s June executive order limiting asylum-seekers’ arrivals at the U.S. border has sharply changed the city’s expectations, she said. No migrant buses have...

To put Chicago's best face on display for the entire nation, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city officials have begun moving homeless illegal immigrants out of the downtown area. Newly arrived illegal immigrants are being moved out of the downtown shelter to one on Chicago's south side. City leaders claim the move has nothing to do with the upcoming convention. Right. The cleanup started back in June when a large encampment was cleared out. Maura McCauley, managing deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, revealed that the cleanup was "fast-tracked" leading up to the convention but...

When the DNC delegates come to Chicago, they’ll be visiting the city that for more than a decade has experienced the most murders in the country. Chicago suffered 617 total homicides in 2023, marking the 12th year in a row it has led the country.And it will be 13 years in a row if Chicago’s 2024’s homicide numbers continue at their current pace. The below chart shows how the top five cities nationally for total homicides may change from year to year, but what always remains true is Chicago’s position at the very top – often the extreme outlier.That’s just...

The president of an American Federations of Teachers' affiliate in Chicago was berated by a Black mom for claiming on a radio station that standardized tests are "junk science rooted in White supremacy" as well as "eugenics." Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union and executive vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, was asked by a Black radio station last week about public school students' declining reading and math scores. Specifically, criticism that Gates was advocating to boost teachers' contracts with money that would be better served addressing student achievement. She responded that gauging student achievement...

The City of Chicago and Democratic National Committee officials are expecting mass protests next week during the convention, as more than 150 groups have formed a nationwide coalition to march down city streets leading to the United Center – the site where delegates are expected to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as their Democratic nominee for president. The nationwide coalition expected to march in Chicago next week includes groups like Black Lives Matter Chicago, Freedom Socialist Party, Denver Communists, Palestinian Assembly for Liberation, Democratic Socialists of America, Milwaukee for Yemen and National Students for Justice in Palestine. The groups...

{list of participating groups} U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) Students for a Democratic Society (National & at UIC) Anakbayan Chicago Freedom Road Socialist Organization Black Lives Matter Chicago Únete La Villita International League of People's Struggles Arab American Action Network Federation of Michoacan Clubs of Illinois/Federación De Clubes Michoacános En Illinois (Fedecmi) Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition & Solidarity Dissenters Chicago Anti-War Committee Palestinian Feminist Collective Students for Justice in Palestine Chicago Jisoor CODEPINK BAYAN USA Queer Palestinian Empowerment Network Colorado Palestine Coalition Tucson...

Chicago protesters have marched against Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza every weekend since last October. But the task of organizing those protests has been difficult while leaders witness the daily violence from Israel’s attacks, including the killing or maiming of their own family or friends. “We’ve been struggling,” said Deanna Othman, a board member with the Chicago chapter of American Muslims for Palestine. “Nobody expected this to last this long.” This month, they’ll have reinforcements. Demonstrations are planned outside the Democratic National Convention, when the party is expected to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as its presidential candidate....

CHICAGO (WLS) -- At least 33 people have been shot, one fatally, in shootings across Chicago so far this weekend, police said. Last weekend, at least 48 people were shot, five fatally, across Chicago, police said.

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah is stepping down as co-chair of the upcoming National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, she announced in a Tuesday tweet. The NABJ24 convention will host Trump for a moderated Q&A session hosted by Fox News’ Harris Faulkner, ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Semafor’s Kadia Goba, according to a report. “To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck,” she wrote on Twitter. “For everyone else, I’m looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you in the Windy City.” She also noted that she was not involved in...

CHICAGO — Crash-and-grab burglars targeted the Prada store in downtown Chicago on Saturday morning. It’s the second such burglary in two weeks along that pricey stretch of Oak Street, just off the Mag Mile. Just after 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, four or five people compromised a large display window at the Prada boutique, 30 East Oak. Based on the extent of the damage and the strength of the security glass, they may have used a vehicle to ram their way in.

A mother and son from Arizona are facing charges after they were allegedly caught trying to smuggle thousands of fentanyl pills through northwest suburban McHenry County. Gloria Gastelum, 54, and her son, German Vargas, 22, were charged with felony drug charges. They were driving through Marengo on Thursday when they were stopped by McHenry County sheriff's deputies, police said. They were stopped in a rental car near West Grant Highway and Ford Street. Officers said they found 120,000 fentanyl pills in their car. They were arrested without incident. The sheriff's office said they were tipped off by an undercover detective...

Less than two weeks before protesters are expected to march on the Democratic National Convention, pro-Israel advocates gathered in Chicago to warn that demonstrations could lead to violence and “anti-American” acts, an allegation one pro-Palestinian group characterized as baseless fearmongering as the event approaches. The Israel-Hamas war triggered by the Oct. 7 terror attack has led to tens of thousands of deaths and widespread destruction and starvation in Gaza, accusations of detainee abuse and ongoing fears of a wider war in the Middle East. Protesters around the country have heavily criticized the Biden administration’s response to the conflict and Democratic...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Wednesday was a glorious day to enjoy Chicago tourist attractions, but will there be the same vibrant energy during the Democratic National Convention? Some hope so. The Chicago Loop Alliance held a meeting Wednesday about safety and security during the Democratic National Convention. The organization represents 30 businesses. It urged its member to go about business as usual during the convention. "We haven't heard any of our businesses recommend that their employees not come to work," said Kiana DiStasi with the Chicago Loop Alliance. The president of Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, Michael Jacobson, said some hotels...

A woman dubbed 'America's worst mayor' has had the privilege of using her administration's credit cards revoked after an alleged spending frenzy. Tiffany Henyard was banned on Monday from using Dolton village credit cards after the Illinois village board of trustees brought in measures against her. The trustees have said that they will only allow the Director of Administrative Services to use the village's credit card on 'board-approved purchases' only.

... Chicago’s hospitals, however, have simultaneously been planning for a potential darker side to the convention. They’ve been developing plans and practicing for influxes of patients should violence erupt or disaster strike at the convention during this time of political anxiety — a mood exacerbated by the attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. In some ways, preparing for the convention has been like readying for other large events, such as the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, the Chicago Marathon and Lollapalooza, say hospital leaders. In fact, it’s somewhat of a relief that...

CHICAGO — He walked down a side street, eyes darting here and there, wondering how it would unfold. “What kind of fences will the police have? Will they bring dogs?” Hatem Abudayyeh asked. He stopped in the shadow of the United Center, home of the NBA’s Bulls and the NHL’s Blackhawks and a draw for tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who are expected to protest against U.S. support for Israel at the Democratic National Convention this month. “I hope they don’t militarize it,” he said. “The first statement the police made was about mass arrests. They’ve backed off a...