The Republican National Committee is demanding that Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle move a planned protest zone farther away from the site of the party’s convention in Milwaukee this summer. The RNC believes that the current plans would force delegates and attendees to come in close contact with protesters, potentially leading to confrontations. In a letter to Cheatle, the RNC’s counsel Todd Steggerda urged immediate action to fix what they see as an unacceptable flaw in the security perimeter design.
The Secret Service, however, maintains confidence in the security plan being developed and is working with federal, state, and local partners to ensure a safe event. They expressed concern that publicly disclosing security information, as done in the RNC letter, could compromise the integrity of the security plan and put the convention, attendees, and the public at risk. Demonstrations zones are typically designated by the host city rather than the Secret Service.
The proposed protest zone, Pere Marquette Park, falls outside the Secret Service’s security perimeter, according to sources familiar with the plans. GOP officials have cited safety concerns in the wake of incidents like a man setting himself on fire outside Donald Trump’s New York trial and a suspicious package sent to the national committee. They want the Secret Service to expand the security perimeter to avoid potential confrontations between protesters and convention attendees at Fiserv Forum, where the convention will take place.
In an effort to address the concerns raised by the RNC, Steggerda proposed expanding the security perimeter one block east to include Pere Marquette Park and designating Zeidler Union Square, located about three-quarters of a mile south of Fiserv Forum, as the new protest zone. This would move the protest area farther away from the convention site and reduce the risk of violence and confrontation. The RNC believes that this minor extension of the security perimeter would remedy a critical flaw in the current design.
The Secret Service’s security perimeter is based on a threat assessment, and they prefer not to take over more area than necessary. Further inaction by the Secret Service would defer the decision to Milwaukee officials. While officials in Milwaukee are open to listening to all concerns, some members of the Common Council feel that the currently planned protest zone is adequate. Despite ongoing discussions and proposals, the issue of the protest zone location remains unresolved as the convention date approaches.
RNC officials had previously expressed their concerns to Cheatle, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also warned about the potential for conflict between protesters and convention attendees in a recent letter. With just two months left before the convention, the RNC is pushing for immediate action to address what they see as a significant security risk. The standoff over the protest zone location underscores the challenges of balancing security concerns with the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration at large-scale events like political conventions.
