On the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the Chicago Police Department (CPD) continued to use massive shows of force—far outnumbering protesters during a Palestine solidarity demonstration at the Israeli Consulate in downtown Chicago—to arrest 72 people. In response to protesters rallying and marching, police provoked confrontations, rushed the crowd, indiscriminately arrested people on the sidewalk, and entrapped groups in order to carry out mass arrests. The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) received reports of at least two journalists arrested by CPD tonight.
“The repressive police response to a Palestine solidarity protest at the Israeli Consulate seemed preplanned and designed to stifle free expression during the Democratic National Convention,” said Ben Meyer from the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. “Assurances that the City would respect people’s First Amendment rights during the convention rings hollow next to this brazenly aggressive approach to free expression.”
NLG Chicago deployed more than two-dozen Legal Observers to monitor police conduct and track arrests during tonight’s demonstration. With the help of Legal Observers, NLG Chicago is able to track arrestees during their detention. Arrested protesters were taken to the 19th District Police Station at Belmont and Western.
