Protestors Prepare for the 2024 RNC

The 2024 Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 15-18. Since it was selected in 2022 as the convention’s host city, the city has been preparing venues and planning security perimeters around the convention’s main location, the Wisconsin Center District Campus.

In March 2024, the city approved a public security map that outlines a “Pedestrian Restricted Perimeter” where only credentialed attendees may enter, and a surrounding “Vehicle Screening Perimeter” where pedestrians may come and go as they please but vehicles will be examined. The city provided a parade path and two speaking platforms for demonstrators in the vehicle screening area. The Coalition to March rejected the protest locations, arguing that under their First Amendment right to free speech, they should be allowed to enter the Pedestrian Restricted Perimeter and be within “sight and sound” of the convention.

Alongside the American Civil Liberties Union, the Coalition to March filed a lawsuit in early June against the City of Milwaukee in an attempt to gain access to those areas. U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig decided that while the Coalition to March does have a First Amendment right to protest, they cannot protest in any way they choose and must follow the safety restrictions decided by the city.

The Coalition to March is moving ahead despite the court’s decision. A July 8 update on the group’s website states that the Coalition to March plans to gather at Red Arrow Park and make the 10-minute walk to the front of the primary venue, Fiserv Forum. This route crosses every security perimeter to the heart of the convention.

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