Milwaukee, RNC protesters reach march conduct agreement
MILWAUKEE - The city of Milwaukee and a protest group have reached a deal on a route to march, as well as protest conduct, during next week's Republican National Convention.
The Coalition to March on the RNC addressed the decision on Friday. Organizers said it was a "handshake agreement" with the city. A city spokesperson denied it was an agreement, but rather an understanding and a discussion to promote safety for everyone.
"We were able to come this agreement with the city because we fought for it. They weren't just going to hand it to us," said Omar Flores, the coalition's chair. "One of our primary reasons for forming the coalition is to send the message that direct action works, that when we fight we win. I want to repeat that one more time: When we fight, we win."
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The Coalition to March on the RNC wanted to use their own route, and even filed a lawsuit. On Friday, organizers said MPD agreed not to stop them from marching a new route that is entirely outside the hard security perimeter.
A member of the city attorney's office will observe the march from the front to "make sure things go without a hitch," the coalition said.
Coalition to March on the RNC shares new protest route (July 12, 2024)
Protester leaders said the route is within sight and sound of the convention. Organizers said they are expecting 5,000 people, but could see even more.
The new route heads south on Plankinton Avenue from Wells Street before heading east on Wisconsin Avenue. A previous plan had the protest group marching down Wells to Second Street before turning east onto Wisconsin.
The march will start Monday from Red Arrow Park at the time the convention officially kicks off. Protesters said they want the march to set the tone for the week.
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RNC Milwaukee: Protesters can't march in security zone, judge rules
A federal judge ruled Monday that protesters can't march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention.
Lawsuit against Milwaukee
A federal judge ruled Monday that protesters could not march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Demonstrators said they planned to march their own route despite the federal ruling.
The Coalition to March on the RNC, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee. That lawsuit said two designated protest zones – Haymarket Square to the north and Zeidler Union Square to the south – were not close enough to the convention's main events.
U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig said in his order that protesters have a right to march in protest of the RNC, "but the First Amendment does not allow them to protest or parade in any way they choose."
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Ludwig said that Milwaukee city officials and the U.S. Secret Service have worked to balance protesters' right to express themselves and "legitimate security and other governmental interests."
"The vast majority of the resulting security plan is a reasonable and valid time, place, and manner regulation on speech," the judge said in denying the protesters’ request for closer access to the convention site.
The judge sided with the ACLU on one issue, ruling that the city and the Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke could not approve speaker and demonstration applications on the basis of an applicant’s criminal history. Ludwig said the city "overstepped their authority in reserving their ability to deny protest permits based on" a past criminal conviction.