The Secret Service is contemplating implementing new strategies to deter protesters from assembling near the park during the Republican convention.
Discussions have arisen concerning barring protesters from gathering in a large park near the upcoming event venue.
These discussions follow a months-long dispute between the Secret Service and the GOP over security measures surrounding the July conference, which will last from the 15th to the 18th. The Republican Party has accused the agency of disregarding their worries, while the Secret Service maintains that the Republicans were hindering efforts to ensure the event remains safe.
The Washington Post initially reported on the new security precautions being considered.
In a statement to CNN, a Trump campaign adviser, Danielle Alvarez, lauded the alleged choice by the Secret Service to prevent protesters from entering Pere Marquette Park, the largest public space close to the venue.
"We commend Secret Service leadership for considering Pere Marquette Park within the security boundary, and we urge local authorities to quickly expedite the permit request for this park and find an alternative location for the First Amendment zone," Alvarez stated.
However, an individual involved in this process warned that no final decisions have been made thus far, and the Secret Service is still awaiting information on whether the GOP's application to engage in their own activities within the park will be granted. It currently remains unclear if the city of Milwaukee will enable any such happenings in the park.
"As it stands, the protection plan for the 2024 Republican National Convention, including the security perimeter, is still under construction," explained Alexandria Worley, a representative for the US Secret Service, to CNN.
"The US Secret Service does not determine protest zones for National Special Security Events; these determinations are made by the host city. The US Secret Service is still working in tandem with our public safety comrades, the City of Milwaukee, and the Republican National Committee to guarantee optimal safety and security during the 2024 Republican National Convention," Worley added.
In April, RNC lawyer Todd Steggerda penned a letter requesting the Secret Service to maintain a larger distance between protesters and the July gathering in Milwaukee than initially planned.
He noted that the city's plan "creates an unreasonably high and troublesome safety risk" and would place protesters in a one-block park, thereby "forcing countless nonviolent attendees and demonstrators ... into close, constant, and inescapable distance."
The RNC's letter coincided with an escalation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at major universities across the US. Some campuses experienced police intervention, leading to arrests and imprisonments. The committee stressed in the letter that previous university and campus conflicts have shown that being pressured together intensifies tensions and escalates the risk of skirmishes and police response.
When the RNC unveiled in 2022 that it would be holding this year's convention in Milwaukee, the city's Democratic mayor, Cavalier Johnson, disregarded security concerns, expressing confidence in his police department's abilities, stating, "Our police department is experienced, and I believe they're ready for the convention."
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The Trump campaign adviser, Danielle Alvarez, expressed support for the Secret Service's consideration of excluding protesters from Pere Marquette Park, the largest public space near the event venue. However, an individual involved in the process cautioned that no definitive decisions have been made yet.
