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MILWAUKEE—The Republican National Convention is set to descend on this area Monday, projected to bring 50,000 visitors to Wisconsin’s biggest city — home to half a million critical voters in the fall presidential election. Local and national activists are prepared to meet them.
Omar Flores has been an organizer for ten years, starting with a 2014 solidarity rally in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police killing of Michael Brown. Now a longtime Milwaukee resident and venerated organizer, Flores has helped refound the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression— and is the 2024 co-chair of the Coalition to March on the RNC.
Joined by a diverse roster of causes, with no allegiance to either political party or candidate, the March on the RNC 2024 represents five ‘Points of Unity’:
(1) Fight the racist and reactionary agenda of the Republican Party
(2) Defend women’s, LGBTQ, and reproductive rights
(3) Defend and expand immigrant rights
(4) Peace, justice, and equity for all
(5) Stand with Palestine
The march , organizers said, is not speficially an anti-Trump event; the progressive activists organizing it would like to get back to discussing policy, and show the national parties and media how many Americans concur.
“Preventing the re-election of Donald Trump would be nice, but that isn’t our primary goal,” said Flores. “No matter who ends up in office we must continue to put the pressure on whoever is in to carry out our political agenda.”
Though Flores notes that they do not rank their objectives in order of priority, the roots of the Coalition’s anti-war activism persists.
“The vast majority of our endorsers are excited to have an opportunity to advocate for the Palestinian struggle, and the other struggles that Republicans are specifically pretty bad on, especially surrounding LGBTQ rights,” Flores told us. “We want to project ourselves as the opposition to the reactionary Republican agenda in action, since the Democrats have only been in opposition to the Republicans in words.”
The March projects anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 attendees, according to Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s chief of staff, Nick DeSiato.
View the full list of organizations and activists who have endorsed or joined the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 here.
The coalition announced Friday they have reached a “handshake agreement” with the city of Milwaukee, allowing the organization to “[M]arch past the closest point to the Fiserv Forum that is still outside of the credentialed zone, which will be on MLK and Highland,” said Flores.
The news comes after a denied bid from Trump-appointed judge earlier this month preventing the Coalition from access to the security zone. The coalition, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit the month prior and argued the security restrictions violated First Amendment rights. The defendants, who included the city and US Secret Service, said the group couldn’t cross the “hard” security lines.
“We were never going to let this decision decide if we march or not,” Flores said.
After this agreement, on July 12th, the Coalition issued a press release with an updated map of their demonstration. Those who wish to participate in the all-ages March can congregate near Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 10 on Monday, July 15.
As for expected law enforcement presence at the RNC and concurrent demonstrations, the city of Milwaukee requested and was granted a State of Emergency in May from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. The executive order grants Milwaukee access to “law enforcement agencies outside of the State of Wisconsin, as well as those within the State,” to assist with security next week. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement between states, was activated under this order, enabling National Guard and law enforcement from other states to send personnel and resources.
In short, due to the language of the executive order and a lack of further clarification from the city and its police (when asked which states were sending National Guard, the Milwaukee Police Department declined to answer on the basis of “operation security”), an unclear amount of law enforcement will be in Milwaukee this week.
Given, this was the security plan before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Saturday evening, yellow school buses filled with unspecified US military personnel were observed in several neighborhoods in Milwaukee, escorted by officers with machine guns. It remains unclear at this time whether they are National Guard, from which states, or if they were activated before or after the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally.
When prompted for comment on the attack in a press conference Sunday afternoon, Flores said, “I think Trump breeds a lot of hate, and I think the shooting has nothing to do with us. We’re gonna continue with the march as planned.”
Alan Chavoya, a Coalition representative from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said law enforcement, especially those from outside Milwaukee, should not interfere with their plans to organize, and expressed disappointment in the executive order.
“This should be ran through Milwaukee,” said Chavoya. “It shouldn’t be outside forces coming in and dictating what happens in our city. If Chief Norman [of the Milwaukee Police] is true to his word, he will make sure the National Guard doesn’t do anything to us—he’ll make sure all the other law enforcement agencies don’t do anything to us, because we have this agreement with MPD.”
Reiterated Flores: “We keep us safe. When our local drag shows received gun threats, we showed up in the hundreds to counter these threats. When the Republicans hosted their debate in Milwaukee, we marched on it in the hundreds without incident. We’ve marched in Milwaukee without permits for as long as we have been organizers, so for some of us, ten years; 99 percent of the time we’ve been able to do this without incident, without anyone getting hurt.”
An unresponsive or uncooperative Milwaukee is nothing new to local organizers, and they will not be deterred.
“We want to be clear about something today,” said Flores in the Friday press release. “We were able to come to this agreement with the city because we fought for it. They weren’t just going to hand it to us. One of our primary reasons for organizing this coalition is because we want to send the message that direct action works. That when we fight, we win.”
