"Make It Great Like '68": Chicago Businesses Board Up As Protesters Threaten To Shut Down DNC 

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to descend near the Democratic National Convention in downtown Chicago in the coming days. Local media reports that shops have already boarded up doors and windows with plywood ahead of what could be a chaotic week. 

Crews with Chicago Board Up Services told WGN-TV that at least a dozen shops around the West Loop, downtown, and Daley Plaza have been completely boarded up. They expect additional businesses to do the same. 

Scott Schapiro, the owner of Syd Jerome, a menswear shop at 20 N. Clark St., told NBC Chicago that he is no stranger to smash-and-grab and looting in the metro area and decided to take extra precautions, such as boarding up doors and windows ahead of the convention - where thousands of protesters are expected.

"You get that phone call in the middle of the night and your heart jumps out of your chest," Schapiro told the local media outlet.

He continued, "We want to sleep a little more soundly at night, and this gives us a little security, and we hope that there isn't any incident obviously, but in the event there is, we want to have maximum protection." 

Protest organizers told NBC News that 20,000 demonstrators from several states will take over downtown streets in an approved protest area near the Democratic National Convention. 

"The 264 protest groups that have said they will participate are primarily focused on Palestinian rights, ending the war in Gaza and reducing US aid to Israel," NBC said, adding, "Others represent a patchwork of left-leaning causes: climate activists, socialists, anti-racist organizations, queer and trans rights groups." 

Mayor Brandon Johnson informed business owners and residents last week that the metro area is well prepared for social unrest. He reiterated that Chicago's police force has worked with the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker brushed off fears that next week's Democratic National Convention could erupt into the same kind of violence experienced during the 1968 convention.

Other local media outlets predict a much larger crowd size, upwards of 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters.

One protest organization, Behind Enemy Lines, has called for "Make it Great like '68," referring to the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. 

"We're not calling for violence or planning on anything illegal, but we think that there's ways for people to protest that do go beyond business as usual," the group spokesperson said, who asked not to be named and quoted by WBEZ Chicago. 

The media outlet explained, "Behind Enemy Lines has opened a temporary office on Chicago's Northwest Side, decorated with posters bearing slogans such as "Stop Killer Kamala" and "Fight Back for Gaza!"" 

Any outbreak of civil disobedience could ignite a wave of bad press for VP Harris and the Democrats.

VP Harris is already coming off a week of terrible headlines after debuting her first economic policies, including communist-style price controls.