Stoking fears about DNC protests gets in the way of right to peacefully protest

Now, more than ever, we must renew our collective commitment to amplifying voices outside institutions of power, writes the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

By  Letters to the Editor Aug 13, 2024, 2:00pm CDT

Chicago will be hosting the Democratic National Convention next week. Many media outlets are already predicting major disruptions and unrest. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling says CPD is training roughly 2,500 officers to respond to potential protests and projected civil unrest. And in a warning to protesters, the top cop also recently said, “We’re not going to allow you to riot.”

Casting the convention as a looming threat with potential danger assumes the worst of our residents and those visiting the city. Raising fear and focusing on a possibility of violent disruption diminishes the right to peacefully assemble and breeds suspicion of citizens organizing lawfully to support their beliefs. Logistical preparation is the business of city management; stoking fear hinders those efforts. It diminishes both the intent of protest organizers and seeds mistrust of protesters and city services.

The foundation of democracy is citizens’ participation in its processes. Peaceful protest has been and remains a meaningful means of participation. Peaceful protest manifests dissent and concentrates the voices of those without direct political power. It motivates policy change in a way voting alone cannot.

The city and its residents must approach the coming convention with support for the peaceful public expression of dissent, not with fear.

Our democracy and free elections are experiencing a moment of unique vulnerability. We must embrace and support the right of peaceful assembly and participation in the political process through organized protest. Now, more than ever, we must renew our collective commitment to amplifying voices outside institutions of power.

The Chicago Council of Lawyers was born during a similarly fraught moment, emerging from the violence that accompanied the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The council’s values remain rooted in support for dissent and the role of lawyers in enabling people to enjoy this fruit of our democracy — without fear of violence or retribution. Our membership has close ties to the legal aid, public interest law and civil rights communities in Chicago’s legal profession, and we are committed to seeking and obtaining reforms in the public interest to ensure necessary participation by all.

We are not naïve about the fraught reality of our times. But the media ought not focus so overwhelmingly on stoking fear of what might be and instead devote time to what exists— the cherished rights of Americans to peacefully express dissent and organize to do so.

Stephanie Agnew and Naomi Johnson, co-executive directors, Chicago Council of Lawyers