The Republicans are headed to Milwaukee. So are protesters.

As tens of thousands of Republicans arrive in Milwaukee on Monday for their party’s convention, another large gathering is expected just outside the official meeting site: Thousands of left-leaning protesters, some of whom have spent the past two years preparing for this moment, will march in opposition to the Republicans’ platform and their nominee, Donald Trump.

More than 120 groups have joined a Coalition to March on the RNC 2024, and organizers say they expect as many as 5,000 people to take to the streets of downtown Milwaukee for a march and rally Monday.

Organizers said they have seen a surge of interest and intensity in the protests outside the Republican National Convention as questions mounted in recent weeks over President Joe Biden’s age and acuity.

“With all the developments with Biden, that makes Trump a much more imminent threat, and that’s going to increase our numbers,” said Omar Flores, a protest coalition leader. “People see the urgency in taking this on.”

Activists said they will focus not on a single issue but on many and have described a range of causes motivating them to join the main planned protest Monday. Some said they objected to the United States’ support of Israel, a rise in bans on abortion in Republican-led states and policies aimed at preventing migrants from entering the country. Many said they also were seeking more accountability by police officers and protections for LGBTQ+ people.

One goal in planning for the convention has been to increase the number of activists and grow stronger ties among groups on the left, said Alan Chavoya, who is with the Milwaukee branch of the Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Flores said protesters, in addition to seeking national attention, wanted Republican delegates coming from all over the country to hear their message. Organizers have pressed officials to permit the protesters to hold their events closer to the convention center than the city had initially proposed. Protesters say they plan to march near Fiserv Forum, home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the convention’s main stage.

It remained uncertain how close to the convention center protesters will be allowed to march, as a long-running dispute over the issue continued to simmer.

This past week, a federal judge approved a route that would have brought protesters within four or five blocks of Fiserv Forum, denying a request from protesters that they be permitted to come closer. The judge wrote that the city of Milwaukee had worked hard to balance protesters’ rights with the responsibilities of safely hosting the convention.

On Friday, protest leaders said they had reached a “handshake agreement” with city officials to come within about 500 feet of the arena.

City officials, though, said they had listened to the protesters’ plans but not approved them. Still, Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said police would prefer not to make arrests.

“There’s an understanding of what their intentions are and a desire by the Milwaukee Police to make sure everyone is safe,” Fleming said of the protesters’ plans.

Leaders of the Milwaukee Police Department have expressed confidence that the city is prepared for the possibility of large protests.

“I’ve had a team dedicated to the plan of this event for over a year, and they’ve worked tirelessly every day to ensure the safety of this event and our city,” Chief Jeffrey Norman said in a news conference this past week.

Norman said police were hopeful that people would participate in demonstrations without getting into conflicts that might require a police response. He declined to say what might prompt a response or what such a response would entail but said that police would react as necessary.

“There is going to be patience, and definitely we are going to work as best as we can, but we understand there are going to be limitations,” he said. “And especially that there will be no tolerance for anything in regards to destruction or violence.”

A spokesperson for the Republican convention, Kush Desai, said the safety and security of all attendees while standing up for First Amendment rights “have always been topmost priorities” for convention officials.

Flores and other protest leaders have said that their rally and march will be “family-friendly” and a peaceful demonstration, and that they were hopeful the march will remain focused and organized.

Organizers said they expected far fewer demonstrators to appear in Milwaukee than are likely to take part in protests at the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago.

“I think people, for a long time, thought: ‘The Democrats are in power — we should focus on that,’” said Audari Tamayo, of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. He said Biden’s weak debate performance and an increasing sense that Republicans might win power in the coming election made him and others more determined to elevate their voices in Milwaukee.

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