MILWAUKEE – After months of planning, the official security footprint of the Republican National Convention was released Friday.
The yellow area is called the Vehicle Screening Perimeter. To enter it, vehicles must pass through a screening point which is marked by black dots. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to enter freely. Businesses and residences inside the Vehicle Screening Perimeter will remain open during the convention. Rideshare services, like Uber, and hot food delivery, like Doordash, will be allowed in the area as long as the drivers enter through a screening point.
The red area is called the Pedestrian Restricted Perimeter. This area will only be available to credentialed and ticketed individuals. Personal vehicles, bicycles and scooters will not be permitted.
Designated protest areas were also announced on Friday. One will be just north of Fiserv Forum at Haymarket Square Park. Just south of Wisconsin Avenue, a parade route has been designated near Zeidler Union Square. In both areas, protestors are expected to sign up for a time-slot with the city and will have microphones available to them if needed.
When deciding the area where protestors will be able to march in the streets, Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s Chief of Staff Nick DeSiato said there was a lot to consider.
“There’s an ecosystem here. … We have to consider where there are egress options. We have to consider for emergency vehicle access. We have to consider entrance points for pedestrians, delegates. It’s a complicated process in determining where those locations are, while simultaneously being beholden to the Constitution of sight-and-sound requirements.”
But others in the community have said these protest areas do not afford enough space for demonstrators to exercise free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee for just that. Tim Muth is a staff attorney for the ACLU, and released the following statement:
“We were surprised and disappointed to see how many blocks of Downtown Milwaukee the Secret Service has declared off limits to anyone but convention attendees. The large size of this zone makes it more critical than ever that the City take steps to allow for effective opportunities for expression and assembly by those with differing viewpoints.”
Tim Muth, ACLU of Wisconsin staff attorney.
The Coalition to March on the RNC is a local organization that has been repeatedly critical of the City’s handling of protest zones around the RNC. After the zones were announced, Omar Flores with the Coalition said they felt removed from the conversations to create the protest areas.
“When the city is left out of the planning of this event, we form our own ecosystem too. One that will march with or without a permit, wherever we please.”
As for the protest location at Haymarket Square Park, DeSiato said they felt it would allow protestors to be within sight and sound of the Convention.
“I would challenge anyone to find a place looking more directly to there with sight lines looking directly at Fiserv Forum.”
Even if Fiserv Forum is visible from Haymarket Square Park, Flores said he thinks delegates will be unable to hear them: “Haymarket Square is not within sight and sound of the RNC. Even with the speakers that we have, there is no way they will be able to hear us.”
The RNC will take place from July 15th-18th.
