Chicago's first day hosting the Democratic National Convention saw thousands of demonstrators and plenty of passion, but mostly calm on the protest front.
The convention is drawing protesters from around the country mostly focused on ending U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza. They see the latest chapter in the conflict there, sparked by the assault in Israel by the militant group Hamas, as a form of genocide — with more than 40,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel says more than 1,200 of its people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage.
In Chicago, pro-Palestinian marchers outside the DNC venue chanted "Biden, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide."
Protesters geared up for the march at a rally in Chicago's Union Park.
Several dozen protesters tore down sections of security fence. Some entered the newly created breach and were detained by police.
Law enforcement said the breach did not present a risk to convention attendees and said that the inner security cordon was still intact.
In the morning, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and the Secret Service told reporters they were there to protect both the First Amendment right to free speech, as well as law and order.
"The organizers have done a very good job of policing themselves and policing each other," said Snelling. "They've worked with us in partnership. We've talked to them because if we know what those routes are going to be, then we can do our best to ensure the safety of everyone within that group."
"We're here to be peaceful," said Margaret Fernandez of Generation Zion, who marched in support of Israel.
"If we want to fight the right wing, if we want to end the war in Gaza, it's going to be necessary for us to challenge the system, not just Kamala Harris," said Josh Crowell, a member of the group Socialist Alternative.
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Cook County is home to a large Palestinian population. An end to the war in Gaza is the protesters' biggest pressure point on the Democratic delegates attending the DNC.
The crowds were made up of people of all ages, some old enough to have been around in 1968. That's when a Democratic convention here gave the city a black eye over police clashes with Vietnam War demonstrators.
The mile-long march was lined with hundreds of police officers, including Snelling, who walked in a group of officers ahead of the protesters.
"We have to play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, to end U.S. aid to Israel and stand with Palestine," said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, which fought in the courts for months over protest locations.
Medea Benjamin, who came from Washington, D.C., with a women-led group of protesters, was shocked that the Biden administration recently approved an additional $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel.
"There's an incredible discrepancy in what people are calling for in this country and what the administration is doing," she said.
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