Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling is touting the nation's second-largest police department as fully prepared for protests ahead of the Democratic National Convention, including on a new mass arrest policy
I came in here to say something cynical about hosting the DNC in Chicago this year like tempting fate, like they want to be out of power for another 24 years afterwards (which may be as long as it takes us to start to have elections again, if Trump wins). Instead I have to deal with this bullshit.
This weird and malicious bill is certainly a heap of shit, but it does nothing even remotely related to making anything illegal. The closest thing is that when investigating instances of discrimination against a Jewish student, the department of education is required to use that definition, so maybe someone who was offended by a Palestine protest could try to twist it around and say that they suffered anti-semitism, and then someone would be required etc etc I don't even really know what the impact is. But nothing is happening to protestors because of this bill (although it is of course a heap of shit, on that we can agree).
Also, it seems that sensible people are trying to kill it; there's no real guarantee that it'll even pass the Senate (although there's also talk of attaching it to something vital like FAA funding to make it tougher for Biden to veto).
Also, and most importantly, it has nothing whatsoever to do with Biden, on any level. It is very clear why you are bringing his name into it, and it has nothing to do with any kind of genuine attempt at communicating a genuine belief about US politics.
Well now there's a totally unique and unprecedented story, Democratic National Convention in Chicago preparing to crack down heavily on leftist protesters. Completely unprecedented.
On an unrelated note if you're a black civil rights leader in Chicago right now get the fuck out. It ain't safe.
They hired all the Hillary Clinton consultants to ask them how to finally get the party together in the right direction, and they all said yeah, the Chicago cops will fix it all for you. Best idea ever. No way it can go wrong.
More than 50 organizations plan to protest in Chicago, which has denied permits for demonstrations near the United Center convention site. That has sparked lawsuits and groups vowing to march whether or not they have permits.
The year is 1970, the war in Vietnam rages on, and the American Legion annual convention is set to be held in liberal bastion Portland, Oregon.
Portland is known for many things, but protesting is right near the top of the list. George H. W. Bush famously called the town "Little Beirut". The George Floyd protests ran for over 100 days.
Now imagine that town, during the Vietnam war, with an American Legion convention, and the rumor that President Nixon would be attending.
😳
Oregon Governor Tom McCall came up with a brilliant solution... A state funded rock concert, far away from Portland proper, on the same days as the convention.
In the end, over five days, somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people attended the festival, barely 1,000 people protested in Portland... and Nixon? Nixon never showed up.