By Erin Delmore
Correspondent
While tensions run hot across the country, protesters are keeping their cool in Cleveland amid some of the tightest security the city’s ever seen.
Right now, we are standing in a 1.7-square-mile event zone. This is a free speech zone. This is a zone where you can’t bring in coolers, tennis balls, glass bottles, speaker systems, tents, but you can bring your gun. That’s because Ohio is an open carry state. The leader of the police union in Cleveland lobbied Gov. John Kasich to reverse that policy today. They wanted to make this an area where no one could carry a firearm, but Gov. Kasich responded that there is no way to change that ordinance from his position. Now notably, the Secret Service takes charge of security beyond this perimeter, where you see the black fence and the white tent. At that point no firearms are allowed.
The city of Cleveland swore in 2,000 out-of-state officers to assist its group of 500. Add 3,000 federal officers assigned to RNC security. I spoke with Cleveland Police Captain Calvin Williams, who said his officers have been driving in two-man cars since the shooting in Dallas earlier this month. His patrol deployed a bicycle unit to enforce crowd control. His officers were “escorting” protesters downtown yesterday.
Over the past few weeks, the ACLU lobbied for an expanded free speech zone, a wider protest area than was granted by authorities in Cleveland, Ohio. They were successful in expanding the free speech zone as well as the parade route though you see these officers lined up on East 12th at the corner of Superior. It remains to be seen what would happen if the protesters attempted to breach this line of officers.
“When we started marching we wanted to make it over to the convention center as close as we could. But the cops kind of corralled us like cattle and we’re kind of going wherever they allow us to go at this point,” said resident Turner Fair.
Donald Trump supporters launched a “unity rally” ahead of the convention’s opening night.
“Just as Goldwater transformed the Republican Party, we are going to transform America,” said political consultant Roger Stone.
A popular rallying cry here: “This is what democracy looks like.” Authorities are hoping that’s how it’ll stay.