By Mark Glennon of Wirepoints
Whose side will Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson be on if protesters become lawbreakers at the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and how will he direct police to respond?
Concerns that Johnson will side with lawbreakers already are common, and Johnson’s interview published Sunday by the Chicago Tribune should increase those concerns.
The interviewers asked Johnson whether he agreed with police who forcibly broke up a recent protest at the Chicago Art Institute, arresting many protesters. Johnson answered that his primary concern was protesters’ rights. The reporters pressed further, asking, “Was the final response, the outcome — which led to dozens of arrests — was that necessary?”
Johnson’s answer:
Well, in some instances — and I’ve been a part of these demonstrations — in some instances, arrests are part of the objective. I’ll say it like that. I’ve taken arrest before. It’s not unprecedented for demonstrators to take arrest. The most important thing, though, here is that the First Amendment? Protected. Keeping people safe, it’s the primary goal, and we’ve done both of those.
In other words, getting arrested for breaking the law while protesting is no biggie.
The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board recognized the concern about what side Johnson will be on. “Democratic bosses,” their editorial says, “have figured something else out too. Chicago’s activist mayor is sympathetic to the pro-Palestinian protesters and likes to refer to the police as an entity separate from himself rather than under his control. Thus, he cannot be counted on to protect the convention and the party’s prospects.”
Others noting the same concern include the Wall Street Journal. A column there asked last week whether Democrats can trust Johnson to protect the convention. The city’s weak response to protests at the University of Chicago, the Journal said, added to questions about the political will to enforce the law.
The deliberate weakness in that response is now clear. In a Saturday MSNBC interview with Rev. Al Sharpton, Johnson said expressly that he opposed the university’s plan to clear the camp and assistance from the Chicago police.
Even left-leaning Politico wrote in some detail last week about concerns over what side Johnson will be on. From Politico: “There’s already a joke going around Democratic strategist circles that the main difference between 2024 and 1968 is that the Chicago mayor this year will be on the side of the protesters, not the cops.”
It’s no joke.
