Group wins fight to protest within sight and sound of Democratic National Convention, but fight not over
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A group planning on protesting during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month was celebrating a legal win Friday night.
The demonstrators will now be allowed to protest within sight and sound of the United Center. But the route the city is proposing is still a point of contention—and the protest groups say their fight is not over.
Several organizations, including the United States Palestinian Community Network, are planning to protest the DNC.
"The DNC protest will be the largest ever for Palestinian rights in Chicago," said Hatem Abudayyeh of the Coalition to March on the DNC.
For months, the Coalition to March on the DNC has been fighting in court to be within sight and sound of the United Center—where the convention will be held.
In an email late Thursday night, the city conceded the protest scheduled for the first day of the DNC will be allowed to be much closer to the convention.
Protesters will be permitted to start and end their march at Union Park—and were offered a route that snakes west on Washington Boulevard, north on Hermitage Avenue, west on Maypole Avenue through Park 78, north on Damen Avenue, and east on Lake Street back to Union Park
"We celebrate this victory," said Chris Williams, an attorney for the protesters. "We're glad the city recognized the right to be there; the right to deliver a political message on public streets."
But organizers and the city do not see eye-to-eye on the length of the protest and the route.
"That is a recipe for disaster," Abudayyeh said. "The city wants to force us onto narrow streets and shorten the total route—and this is unacceptable."
An amended complaint filed by Williams argues that turning the protest off main arteries like Washington Boulevard onto side streets like Hermitage and Maypole avenues will not accommodate the thousands expected to participate—and could be a safety problem.
"We are not looking for conflicts with the police, and we don't understand why the city will not be more practical in negotiating with us," Williams said.
In Milwaukee, Protesters are celebrating an agreement they just struck with the city to protest within sight and sound of the Republican National Convention—which begins next week.
"We were able to come to this agreement with the city because we fought for it," said Omar Flores, spokesperson for Coalition to March on the RNC. "They weren't just going to hand it to us."
Back in Chicago, if both sides cannot come to an agreement in the coming weeks, the matter will be back in court next month before the convention.
The city declined to comment on pending litigation.
