GOP Delegates Head to Milwaukee, Protesters Are There to Greet Them

MILWAUKEE — The Republican National Convention is set to take place in this area on Monday, drawing 50,000 visitors to Wisconsin’s largest city, home to a half-million key voters in the fall presidential election. Local and national activists are ready to welcome them.

Omar Flores has been an organizer for a decade, starting with a 2014 solidarity rally in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police killing of Michael Brown. Now a longtime Milwaukee resident and revered organizer, Flores helped refound the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression—and is the 2024 co-chair of the Coalition to March Against the RNC.

Joined by a diverse list of causes, with no allegiance to any political party or candidate, the March on the RNC 2024 represents five “points of unity”:

(1) Combat the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican Party
(2) Defend women’s, LGBTQ and reproductive rights
(3) Defend and expand the rights of immigrants
(4) Peace, justice and equity for all
(5) Support Palestine

The march, organizers said, is not specifically an anti-Trump event; the progressive activists organizing it would like to return to the political conversation and show national parties and the media how many Americans agree.

“Preventing Donald Trump from being reelected would be a good thing, but it’s not our primary goal,” Flores said. “No matter who gets elected, we have to continue to pressure whoever is in office to implement our policy agenda.”

Although Flores notes that they do not prioritize their goals, the Coalition’s roots in anti-war activism persist.

“The vast majority of our supporters are thrilled to have the opportunity to champion the Palestinian struggle and other struggles that Republicans have been particularly bad at, especially LGBTQ rights,” Flores told us. “We want to present ourselves as the opposition to the Republicans’ reactionary agenda in action, since Democrats have only opposed Republicans in words.”

The march is expected to draw between 2,500 and 5,000 participants, according to Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s chief of staff, Nick DeSiato.

See the full list of organizations and activists who have endorsed or joined the RNC 2024 March Coalition here.

The coalition announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement “handshake agreement” with the city of Milwaukee, allowing the organization to “(walk) beyond the closest point to the Fiserv Forum that is still outside the accredited area, which will be on MLK and Highland,” Flores said.

The news comes after a Trump-appointed judge rejected a request earlier this month to block the coalition from accessing the security zone. The coalition, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit the previous month arguing that the security restrictions violated First Amendment rights. The defendants, which included the city and the U.S. Secret Service, said the group could not cross the “hard” security lines.

“We’re never going to let this decision decide whether we march or not,” Flores said.

Following the agreement, the Coalition issued a press release on July 12 with an updated map of their march. Those interested in participating in the all-ages march can gather near Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 15.

Regarding law enforcement presence at the RNC and the upcoming protests, the City of Milwaukee requested and received a state of emergency in May from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. The executive order grants Milwaukee access to “law enforcement agencies located outside the State of Wisconsin, as well as those located within the State,” to assist with security next week. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement between states, was activated under the order, allowing the National Guard and law enforcement from other states to send personnel and resources.

In short, due to the language of the executive order and the lack of further clarification from the city and its police (when asked which states were sending the National Guard, the Milwaukee Police Department declined to answer on the basis of “operation security”), an uncertain number of law enforcement officers will be present in Milwaukee this week.

This was the security plan in place before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. On Saturday night, yellow school buses filled with unspecified U.S. military personnel were seen in several Milwaukee neighborhoods, escorted by officers armed with machine guns. It is unclear whether they are the National Guard, from which states, or whether they were activated before or after the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally.

Asked about the attack at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Flores said: “I think there’s a lot of hate for Trump and I think the shooting had nothing to do with us. We’re going to continue the march as planned.”

Alan Chavoya, representative of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression coalitionsaid law enforcement, especially those from outside Milwaukee, should not interfere with their organizing plans, and expressed disappointment with the executive order.

“This should be implemented in Milwaukee,” Chavoya said. “It shouldn’t be outside forces coming in and dictating what happens in our city. If Chief Norman (of Milwaukee Police) keeps his word, he’s going to make sure the National Guard doesn’t do anything to us, he’s going to make sure all the other law enforcement agencies don’t do anything to us, because we have this agreement with the Milwaukee Police Department.”

Flores reiterated: “We protect ourselves. When our local drag shows have received gun threats, we have come out in the hundreds to counter those threats. When the Republicans held their debate in Milwaukee, we marched in the hundreds without incident. We have been marching in Milwaukee without a permit for as long as we have been organizers, which for some of us is 10 years; 99 percent of the time, we have been able to do it without incident, without anyone getting hurt.”

An unresponsive or uncooperative Milwaukee is nothing new to local organizers, and they won’t be deterred.

“We want to be clear about one thing today,” Flores said in Friday’s news release. “We were able to reach this agreement with the city because we fought for it. They weren’t going to give it to us just like that. One of the main reasons we organized this coalition is because we want to send the message that direct action works. That when we fight, we win.”