RNC security plans not set, protesters allege free speech restrictions

MILWAUKEE - The head of the U.S. Secret Service said Thursday, June 6, that security plans for the 2024 Republican National Convention are still being determined as protesters blasted restrictions they claimed will violate free speech with just weeks until the event.

Roughly 30,000 visitors are expected in Milwaukee next month when former President Donald Trump is slated to become the Republican party’s official presidential nominee. Largescale demonstrations are expected, but how close protesters will be allowed to the downtown Fiserv Forum convention site is up in the air. Top RNC officials have expressed safety concerns and protesters have sued the city of Milwaukee over rules laying out where demonstrations will be allowed.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said law enforcement agencies have been making safety plans for more than a year, including working with businesses on potential impact and creating a secure zone around the convention site. She said further details would come in two weeks.

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"So there is a number of intelligence reports that we are continuing to gather," Cheatle said.

The FBI is working to make sure foreign governments don’t meddle in the convention.

"The FBI, across our 56 field offices, works with election crime coordinators that monitor any threats to our election process. It's one of our main focuses during any time period, but specifically during an election year," said Michael Hensle, special agent in charge of the Milwaukee Field Office. "We continue to monitor those threats. As the director said, we share intelligence, both at the federal and state level, to make sure that everyone's aware of any threats and potentialities that we're going to address prior to the lead up of the RNC or DNC."

Hensle said they are looking to determine the veracity of any specific intelligence that could be deemed as threats.

"That's what we typically do with any sort of intelligence that comes in, especially when there potentially could be a threat or at least a threat that is perceived, and we're still evaluating that, and we’ll be continuing to do that up to the lead up of the RNC," he said.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be helping as well, to protect against biological threats.

Cheatle got briefings from her agents, the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee Fire Department and others. For more than a year, they have been planning. 

And it’s the second time for the city.

"We are fortunate that this city was selected to host the 2020 DNC and many of the relationships built years ago have contributed to the cohesiveness of this preparation," she said.

In about two weeks, we'll learn where the Secret Service will place their hard security perimeter.

It'll be somewhere around the rnc's main convention sites: Fiserv Forum, Panther Arena and the Baird Center.

Around it will be huge fences, and you will have to have a special credential from the Secret Service to get inside.

You'd also go through airport-style screening.

Outside the hard security perimeter, Milwaukee police will get backup from other police departments from around the state and even the country.

Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency that makes it easier to get those out-of-state police.

The list includes departments from Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, and North Carolina. And the governor gave them arrest powers.

Out of state:

• Bradenton PD, FL
• Palm Beach County, FL
• Panama City PD, FL
• Bloomington PD, MN
• Hennepin County, MN
• Rochester PD, MN
• Missouri State Police, MS
• N Las Vegas PD, NV
• NJ State Police, NJ
• Cary PD, NC
• Concorde PD, NC

Wisconsin agencies: 

• Glendale
• Green Lake
• Greendale
• Oak Creek
• Shorewood
• South Milwaukee
• St. Francis
• Whitewater
• East Troy
• West Bend
• Lake Mills
• Superior
• Whitefish Bay
• Muskego
• Jefferson

The MPD and partners will handle things outside the hard security perimeter, including protests.

"At the end of the day, we really don’t want this to be about the Milwaukee Police Department or public safety," Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said. "This is about the event, this is about those who are attending the event. And we are going to be in the background in regards to this particular type of event."

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The city will decide where to place a protest zone. It’s floated using Pere Marquette Park, just 1.5 blocks from Fiserv Forum. The RNC warned that it would place protesters too close to convention-goers.

"The Secret Service and the law enforcement here locally prepare for any potential eventualities. So we are fully prepared," Cheatle said. "We realize that there most likely will be demonstrations. But we are prepared to address those."

Free speech lawsuit filed

The Coalition to March on the RNC, which makes up dozens of organizations, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit over the ordinance on Wednesday, June 5. They allege Milwaukee’s rules governing parade and protest activity violate the First Amendment by unlawfully limiting where protesters can parade and exercise their right to free speech.

The group held a press conference Thursday to make their demands heard.

"We have been clear from the beginning, we will march within sight and sound of the convention," said Omar Flores, with Coalition to March on the RNC. "We are suing the City of Milwaukee for violating our First Amendment rights."

The lawsuit targets a city ordinance that says protesters wanting to march inside the RNC footprint must register and get a timeslot.

"The city set up a 90-square block security footprint around the arena," said Tim Muth, ACLU Wisconsin staff attorney. The city hasn’t told anybody where they are going to be allowed to march." 

The group’s goal is to be within "sight and sound" of those attending the convention.

"The delay frustrates the ability of the ACLU and the coalition to have the city’s decision reviewed by a court," Muth said.

The city said it's had open discussions with groups concerned about demonstration plans and takes seriously the responsibility for people to express their opinions while also focusing on safety. 

"Milwaukee takes seriously its responsibility to provide an opportunity for people to express their opinions. The city is also focused on safety for all the people in and around the upcoming convention," Jeff Fleming, spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. "We are working to maximize both those priorities."

Ultimately, the group is sticking to its message.

"Whether we get a permit or not, we are going to be marching that route," Muth said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.