Less than six weeks until the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement agencies are working to finalize a comprehensive security plan that prioritizes safety while also limiting impact to the surrounding downtown area during the four-day event.
“We seek to lessen disruptions to the public to the greatest extent possible,” Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle told the media Thursday during a press conference at the agency’s RNC Coordinating Center, located in the 100 East building in downtown Milwaukee. She was joined by Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski and Secret Service RNC Coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino to provide an update on security planning and preparations for the convention, taking place July 15-18.
Most notably, Cheatle announced that the official security plan, including outer “soft” and inner “hard” security perimeters, street closures and checkpoints, will be unveiled in approximately two weeks.
The Secret Service in February released a “general impact map” of the area that will likely be affected by the official RNC security plan. That map’s boundaries are West Cherry Street to the north, West Clybourn Street to the south, North Water Street to the east and North 9th Street to the west, but those boundaries are subject to slight changes based on the individual needs of businesses within the general impact area, said Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service.
The Secret Service has been in contact with downtown residents and business owners throughout the year-long planning process. Over the past few months, the agency has worked to “canvas” the general impact area — collecting key information, such as restaurants’ inventory delivery schedules — to develop a plan that creates the least amount “of disruption as possible,” said Guglielmi, adding a disclaimer: “What I want to be clear about, there will be disruptions. There will be heavy traffic,” he said. “We are trying to mitigate those as much as possible, and that’s why these crucial weeks leading up to the convention are so important to us.”
Beyond the road closures and expected traffic delays, the RNC, like any political event, will draw demonstrations and protests.
“The Secret Service respects every American’s First Amendment right to express themselves, and protests are nothing new to political conventions,” said Cheatle. “The Secret Service is working closely with Chief Norman and the Milwaukee Police Department, who are prepared to manage demonstrations so that groups can express their views freely.”
As it works to designate a protest zone — and protest guidelines — for demonstrators during the convention, the City of Milwaukee is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, which argues the city is “severely restricting the rights of those seeking to protest.”
The ACLU is representing a group known as the Coalition to March on the RNC, which claims the city has not approved any of its multiple permit applications “for a mass, family-friendly rally and march for the entire day of July 15th,” according to a press release. The group is demanding the city grants its permit request “with full control over the speakers, microphones, agenda and content of our rally within sight and sound of the convention.”
