See Detailed RNC Street Closures, Demonstration Zones

It’s now clear exactly where you will and won’t be able to go during the Republican National Convention.

The U.S. Secret Service joined 15 partner agencies Friday morning in releasing a detailed traffic and security plan. The City of Milwaukee also released two demonstration zones and a demonstration parade route.

“We know that security of an event of this size will have an impact,” said Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

Members of the public will still be able to access much of Westown, where the convention is being held, but should expect delays, possible searches and other restrictions.

“I just want to remind everybody that the city of Milwaukee is open for business,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson‘s chief of staff Nick DeSiato. “We have any number of food options, drink options, entertainment options that continue to be open.”

The city will host two scheduled demonstration zones, one at Zeidler Union Square, 301 W. Michigan St, and a second at the Haymarket plaza at the intersection of N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and W. McKinley Avenue. A parade route originates from Zeidler Union Square.

The security plan is led by the Secret Service as a result of it being designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE), one of only a handful each year. “NSSEs are some of the most high-profile events in the world,” said Cheatle. “Together, this team has been preparing the convention for over a year. They have been thoughtful about community impact, traffic conerns, businesses and, most importantly, about ensuring a safe and secure convention for attendees and the city of Milwaukee.”

As initially signaled by Johnson in February, there will be a “soft zone” or “outer perimeter” where pedestrians and bicyclists can enter freely, but vehicles must go through a security checkpoint.

A smaller “hard zone” or “inner perimeter” around the three convention venues, Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Baird Center, will be off limits to anyone but credentialed delegates, volunteers, media members and impacted residents and workers. Vehicles, bicycles, scooters and golf carts are prohibited in this zone.

Businesses within the “hard zone” will only be able to those with credentials to access the area, said Secret Service RNC Coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino.

Temporary closures around the security perimeter will begin July 11 to accommodate its buildout. The full closure will begin at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 14 through 1 a.m. on Friday, July 19.

There will also be a one-day closure near the lakefront.

On Sunday, July 14, a pre-RNC event will be held at Henry Maier Festival Park, resulting in a one-day closure of the Hoan Bridge and Lakeshore State Park. On that day, vehicle restrictions will be in place on the eastern side of the Historic Third Ward.

The actual convention will occur from July 15-18.

The Milwaukee River will be closed to commercial and recreational boat traffic through Downtown between Cherry Street and Michigan Street from July 14 through the end of the convention. Residents with boats docked in the secured area can leave the area on their boats, but will require an escort and search from the U.S. Coast Guard to return. All bridges will remain down (open to street traffic) during the convention.

A number of Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus routes will be detoured during the event, but will continue to serve Downtown. MCTS has a webpage to track any changes, but at the time of publication it had yet to include the specific detours. “Riders are asked to expect delays and budget a little extra time for travel,” said Gibson-Cicchino.

Demonstration Zone Details

“We just didn’t have enough hours in the day to have just one platform,” said DeSiato of the plan to have two amplified platforms.

But that comes in part because Pere Marquette Park was removed as an option. The Republican National Committee opposed the use of the park as “untenable risk” and subsequently booked the adjoining Milwaukee County Historical Society and applied for permits to use the park. The Secret Service then incorporated it into the “hard zone.”

DeSiato said approximately 100 groups or individuals have already registered and will now need to decide what platform they wish to use based on the order they signed up. The city does not limit the content of speeches and DeSiato said no applications have been rejected.

Speeches on the platforms will be for 30 minutes and parades will leave every 20 minutes said DeSiato. Both options will be available between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Office of Community Wellness and Safety will administer the platforms and parade routes.

Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said he hoped law enforcement would be a “last resort” for any intervention in protests, permitted or not. “The intent of our respective role is to really be invisible,” said the chief. “To have us as a first conversation, I don’t feel that’s an appropriate way of looking at what this event represents.”

“The expectation is express yourself, that’s what the Constitution is based on. But we won’t tolerate anything beyond that particular type of activity, because this is our city and we’re proud of it,” said Norman.

He said MPD maintains a “mass arrest” plan drawn up, but said the department doesn’t want to become the focus.

“It wouldn’t be a protest if it was following all the rules in regards to what it means to get that particular kind of attention,” said the chief. He said actions within the protected security zone might force law enforcement to engage.

DeSiato and other city officials have previously said they would establish the designated demonstration zones and parade route within “sight and sound” of the convention.

The Haymarket plaza will have sight and sound to Fiserv Forum, as it located across the empty Park East lots from the arena.

The parade route goes by the fencing across from the Baird Center, which will be used as a media filing center.

But Zeidler Union Square is separated by a row of buildings from the secured area. DeSiato said it represented the best option given the various safety requirements for emergency vehicles and accomodating the security zone.

“It’s hard to just build a park out of nowhere,” said DeSiato. The city, however, is doing just that a block to the north with Vel R. Phillips Plaza. But the park has been formally incorporated into the “hard zone,” removing it as an option.

Unlike the “inner perimeter,” the demonstration zones will not have any additional security fencing said DeSiato.

The Coalition to March on the RNC, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, still has an open federal lawsuit over the city’s designation demonstration options. DeSiato did not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit Friday.

“We were surprised and disappointed to see how many blocks of Downtown Milwaukee the Secret Service has declared off limits to anyone but convention attendees,” said ACLU attorney Tim Muth in a statement in advance of a lawsuit plaintiff press conference at noon. “The large size of this zone makes it more critical than ever that the City take steps to allow for effective opportunities for expression and assembly by those with differing viewpoints.”

“It feels like we are at the point of insanity here,” said Coalition leader Omar Flores in a noon press conference. The coalition, which hopes to have several thousand participants on the first day of the convention, is maintaining its pledge to march with or without a permit. “The city cannot be trusted to organize a dinner party.”

“There is absolutely no reason they cannot accommodate our march,” said Flores. He said the march would occur outside of the credentialed zone. The group is adjusting its route to match the Secret Service map, said Flores, but is displeased with the changes made to accommodate the Republicans.

Odds and Ends

• Only a single residential building falls within the “hard zone,” Five Fifty Ultra Lofts. The apartment building along N. 6th Street is connected to the Fiserv Forum parking structure and directly across from the arena. Residents of the building, said Gibson-Cicchino, were provided credentials to access their homes. Several residential structures are on the border of the zone.
• The “hard zone” is far from an orderly shape, with several street closures jutting out from the core between N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue and N. 6th Street.
• As a result of the unusual shape, at least one business in the “soft zone” will be wrapped by the “hard zone” and need a special entrance. Major Goolsby’s gets a special designation on the map for pedestrian access.
• The map does not make it clear, but several freeway ramps into Westown will be closed. The tunnels through the courthouse complex from Interstate 43 and eastbound McKinley Avenue off-ramp will both be shuttered.
• Vehicles in the “soft zone” are not expected to be able to drive the entire area without exiting and entering. Those attempting to drive into the zone are advised to enter the checkpoint nearest their destination.
• According to Secret Service personnel, residents and those nearby should expect any critical incidents to trigger alerts to their phones
• The City of Milwaukee is maintaining a frequently asked questions page to address concerns about the convention. It has been updated to include information about the security zone.
• The cost of security, including potentially thousands of outside officers assisting MPD and the Secret Service, is due to be covered by a $75 million federal grant.
• Bring your guns, but not your tennis balls to the “soft zone.” State law prevents the city from blocking the possession of fire arms. But if you’re actually going to the convention, leave the gun at home. No such state limitation applies to the federally-controlled “hard zone.”

Maps

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