TL/DR –
Pere Marquette Park will be inaccessible to protesters during the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, according to information provided by the Secret Service. The park’s proximity to the convention site and other official activities prompted concerns about security risks. The Secret Service has designated two other parks for protesters, but they are further from the convention site and within an outer security perimeter.
Protest Restrictions Imposed on Milwaukee Park Close to Republican National Convention Venue
During the Republican National Convention, Pere Marquette Park in Milwaukee, the focal point of a free speech lawsuit, will be inaccessible to protestors, as disclosed by the Secret Service after sustained pressure from convention organizers.
While the convention takes place in mid-July, only individuals possessing official credentials, comprising delegates and reporters, will have access to the park, as per Secret Service officials at a news conference held recently in Milwaukee.
The park, nestled between the Fiserv Forum (the convention venue) and the Milwaukee River, had been a potential rally point for protesters. However, guarding against potential threats, the Secret Service decided to restrict the park’s access due to its proximity to the Milwaukee County Historical Society, a venue for other official convention activities.
“The executive steering committee decided to include the park within the security perimeter for optimal safety during the convention,” stated Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, an assistant special agent and the coordinator for the convention from the Secret Service.
The Secret Service identified two other parks for protestors, positioned outside the inner security perimeter, a roughly five-by-seven blocks downtown area. These parks, although further from the arena, are within the outermost security boundary where vehicle screening checkpoints are established.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin, which filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of a protest umbrella group, criticised both the vastness of the security perimeter and Pere Marquette Park’s inclusion within it. ACLU Wisconsin’s staff attorney, Tim Muth, said in a statement, “The expansion represents an impermissible concession to the Republican National Committee, which did not want to see or hear demonstrators near its convention.”
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