CHICAGO—Nighttime protests outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago on Aug. 20 led to between 55 and 60 arrests, according to Superintendent Larry Snelling of the Chicago Police Department.
He said exact figures would be provided at a later time.
“Last night was a danger to our city and a danger to our citizens,” Snelling told reporters during a news conference on Aug. 21, more than half a day after violence broke out west of the United Center during the Democratic National Convention.
Snelling told the media that those apprehended on the scene included three journalists.
“We need you guys to step to the side,” he said, recommending that reporters keep at least two arm’s-length distance between themselves and officers to maintain what he described as a “reactionary gap.”
Snelling did not clarify the charges faced by journalists, saying he would provide that information later. Demonstrators’ charges ranged from disorderly conduct to battery on police officers.
Protests on Aug. 19, the first day of the convention, included a march by about 3,500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators along a route near the United Center.
However, much of what unfolded that day was peaceful, though marked by tension between protesters, counterprotesters, and law enforcement as demonstrators attempted to convey their message to the leading Democrats headlining the nearby convention.
Snelling told reporters that, of those arrested and who had provided their address, 22, or about half, were not local.
“A lot of them are from the West Coast,” the superintendent told the media. Fourteen arrestees had not given their addresses to police.
Even as the temperature rose on the streets of Chicago, the superintendent rejected comparisons to 1968, when that Democratic National Convention was marked by conflict between anti-Vietnam War demonstrators and the police.
“It’s 2024, and the Chicago Police Department proved that. So let’s get off of 1968. Let’s stop talking about 1968,” Snelling said.
He defended his officers’ conduct, saying they had acted as trained and treated protesters appropriately as they wound around the streets near the Israeli consulate.
“In most instances, officers use less force than they could have used,” Snelling said.
He said female officers had been abused with sexually explicit epithets.
Additional protests are expected on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, including an Aug. 21 march from Union Park.
“We expect the rest of the week to be better,” Snelling said.
Snelling declined to say what it would take for his police officers to use tear gas, rubber bullets, or other, stronger nonlethal methods.
He said that two officers and two arrestees had sustained minor injuries. The officers were hospitalized and then released, Snelling said.
Derek Mayer of the Secret Service also spoke at the news conference. He warned against the use of drones near the convention, noting that much of that airspace is restricted.
