'We're not gonna adhere to that': As RNC calls to push back protest zone, demonstrators vow to march beyond designated areas
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The U.S. Secret Service and city leaders have yet to announce a designated protest area for this summer's Republican National Convention, but RNC organizers and protest groups are already unhappy with the likely location.
Lawyers for the Republican National Committee sent the Secret Service a letter last month requesting the demonstration zone be moved out of Pere Marquette Park.
The park is one block east of Fiserv Forum and the Baird Center, which are where the vast majority of convention activities will take place.
According to the letter, the two main pedestrian access points into the convention are W. State St. and W. Kilbourn Ave., which border Pere Marquette Park to the north and south, respectively.
"Packing demonstrators into a Park essentially boxed in by the two streets that thousands of attendees will be using to enter the Convention site will only serve to heighten—rather than prevent and diffuse—any tension," the RNC letter read.
At the same time, those planning to stage protests during the convention maintain the park is too far away from the convention. Omar Flores, co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC, said any designation free speech areas should be right outside the convention.
"I mean, I can't see the Fiserv Forum from here," Flores said during an interview at the park. "And they definitely can't hear me unless you're really good at yelling."
Flores said his group did not plan on following demonstration rules set forth by the city. Currently, the "Official Speakers Platform and Official Parade Route" have sign-up times available between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. during the convention's four days, July 15-18.
"We're not gonna adhere to that at all," Flores said. "We demanded from the very start, and we followed the city's process. We followed the laws that were set forth to be able to have our demonstration within sight and sound of the Fiserv [Forum], and we're gonna do exactly that."
Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said while the city hasn't finalized the protest zone location, it will "likely" be Pere Marquette Park. Fleming added it was the designated demonstration area for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which never fully materialized due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We will work with the appropriate parties to find the best available alternative," Fleming said in an email. "At this point the city is hearing from people who think Pere Marquette Park is too far away from the convention – and, at the same time, we are hearing others who think the park is too close."
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said the final security perimeters won't be set until mid-June, around three or four weeks before the convention opens. He said federal, state and local officials were still in talks to determine the final layout.
"Our Secret Service personnel on the ground in Milwaukee have worked with these agencies to develop a thorough understanding of the expected security environment for the convention," Guglielmi said an email. "The U.S. Secret Service is confident in the security plan being developed."
During a public meeting last month, Secret Service representatives said RNC security will largely consist of an outer ring with a checkpoint for vehicles and an inner checkpoint immediately around the convention buildings. The Secret Service has said those exact locations won't be finalized until mid-June.
When asked how they would respond to demonstrators refusing to adhere to the designated protests zones and routes, a Milwaukee Police spokesperson issued the same exact statement it sent in response to an April 9 question about demonstrators pledging to march without permits.
"We continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to ensure a safe RNC," the duplicate statements read. "MPD respects the rights of all individuals who wish to peacefully express their First Amendment rights."