The Democrats’ Gaza problem isn’t going away after the DNC

CHICAGO—Despite the enormous number of police and the closure of whole parts of Chicago behind walls, checkpoints, and credentialed passes, the Democratic National Convention was rather peaceful. The ghost of 1968’s tumultuous convention set expectations for some, but for the thousands of delegates chosen to represent their voters, the process of entering and exiting the convention itself made a deeper impression.

People’s World did not receive DNC press credentials for official convention proceedings but provided coverage from the perimeter’s edges, reporting from the constellation of unofficial convention events like those at Progressive Central held by the Progressive Democrats of America, from the Rainbow/PUSH coalition headquarters, and from the variety of caucus meetings held at McCormick Place, far from the main stage at the United Center. Our reporters also hit the streets, reporting on the protests around the DNC and on the general impression of workers in the Chicago area.

The question of access was on everyone’s minds: “What has stood out about this [convention] is the inaccessibility of a lot of official proceedings,” said C.J. Atkins, Managing Editor for People’s World. The DNC and Chicago police combined forces to keep media and independent groups away from delegates. “Before, we had pretty easy access in past years to be able to go right up to delegates and talk to them.”

For the 2024 DNC, delegates seemed much more difficult to approach, sequestered behind checkpoints, bomb-sniffing dogs, strategically placed city sanitation vehicles, barricades, and 12-foot walls anchored by concrete barriers. There were also legions of police behind riot visors with billy clubs hanging from their belts. Union locals and businesses near the United Center boarded up their windows, anticipating riots.

All of these measures sent a chill through the Windy City. When People’s World did gain access to delegates, many refused to give their names or go on record. When exiting the convention, People’s World reporters saw delegates removing their credentials while saying that it was in order to avoid being identified by protesters, many of whom were standing near the entrances with signs denouncing the DNC’s policies on Gaza.

Yet, despite the $72 million spent on DNC security, much of it going to the Chicago Police and its overtime budget, only 74 people were arrested during the protests around the convention, with four hospitalized. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling took a victory lap on Friday morning at a press conference with Mayor Brandon Johnson. The low arrest numbers and statistical decline in crime during the convention, he said, “tells you how effective the approach [to policing] was.”

Freddy Martinez, director of Lucy Parsons Labs, a police accountability research organization in Chicago, notes that $72 million is about 5% of the Chicago Police Department’s annual budget, but is still a lot of money to allocate for a four-day event. “Most of it is spent on police overtime,” Martinez told People’s World. “They did spend a lot on equipment. They bought a helicopter as well and even held a press conference about it. They were very proud of that helicopter.”

An email provided to People’s World from Lucy Parsons Labs with a tentative budget from Illinois State Rep. Mike Quigley’s office also outlined $5 million to contract up to 250 people from outside state agencies and $1 million for barricades.

While at least two helicopters were present at protests, there seemed little need. The marches proceeded without issue, shepherded along by protest marshals. The arrests that took place during the DNC occurred mainly outside of pre-planned protests and marches.

On the convention floor itself, the disruptions were minimal: A banner that read “Stop Arming Israel” was held by three delegates on the first night and then swiftly removed. Sources told People’s World that some delegates held up the names of children killed during the war on Gaza on the second night, and these signs were obscured by staff.

According to John Bachtell, a People’s World correspondent who was inside the United Center on its final night, “scattered voices” raised objections during Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech when she stressed her commitment to “always” making sure “Israel has the ability to defend itself.” Bachtell also pointed out that the delegates broke into a standing ovation when Harris mentioned that Palestinians had the right to self-determination.

The Uncommitted Campaign staged a 22-hour sit-in outside of the United Center to pressure the DNC to allow a Palestinian-American speaker to give pre-vetted remarks from the main stage but were ultimately denied. They were supported by a number of progressive elected officials, progressive organizations, and leaders of the African American community, as well as the UAW.

Taking home the most votes in the Midwest is essential for the Democrats to win in November. Why did the DNC take such a risk when they themselves insist that winning this year’s election is necessary to save democracy?

“They said this is Kamala Harris’ biggest night of her life, and it can’t be defined by this,” Uncommitted Campaign Senior Advisor and Co-Chair Waleed Shahid told People’s World. “And we said, ‘You had Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.’”

Martinez says that not allowing a Palestinian American to speak on stage at the DNC did indeed seem like an unforced error, but it followed a familiar decades-long logic regarding the modern peace movement. “I think this follows decades of basically treating solidarity with Palestinian people as terrorism,” Martinez told People’s World. “These laws regarding material support for terrorism were about criminalizing solidarity with Palestinian people.”

With new laws came new federal grants for law enforcement. Special police squads like the Strategic Response Group of the NYPD were initially created as counterterrorism specialists, but are now almost exclusively used against protests and civil disobedience.

“Certain types of dissent inside of the United States began to be seen as a national security threat, and specifically, at this moment, there is an idea that groups standing in solidarity with Palestinians should be treated as a national security threat,” Martinez continued.

Despite this War on Terror approach, Democratic voters are increasingly pro-ceasefire and pro-weapons embargo on Israel due to the human cost of the war on Gaza. The Uncommitted Campaign was able to gather 325 signatures on a petition to the Harris-Walz campaign and the DNC, and more names are added every day.

As the election approaches and pressure builds for a ceasefire and weapons embargo, the Democratic ticket still has time to chart a new course on its policy towards Israel. Despite limited access around the convention, and the campaign’s desire not to let the genocide in Gaza overshadow the nomination of the party’s first Black woman for president, the issue isn’t going away.

The Uncommitted Movement’s insistence on working across the barricades, from the streets to the convention floor, reveals both their understanding of the grave threat Trump represents, as well as their deep commitment to serious policy change.

One sign at Monday’s March on the DNC held prominently near the front of the march, read simply: “We’re trying to help you, Kamala.”

As with all news-analytical and op-ed articles published by People’s World, this article reflects the views of its author.