Mayor Addresses Security, Firearms Ahead of RNC Day 1

Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Photo taken July 15, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson remains confident in the city’s security plan for the Republican National Convention, following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

He touched on that and other topics during a 6:30 a.m. press conference on Monday, where he addressed a crowd of approximately 25 reporters outside of City Hall, hours before convention programming was set to begin.

During a short speech, Johnson touted the measures in place, noting that the increased security — totaling $75 million — is apparent to “anyone in and around downtown.”

“You’ve seen some of these preparations up close,” he said. “And there’s a lot going on behind the scenes as well.”

He also denounced the pervasiveness of firearms, but stopped short of calling for their prohibition within the area surrounding the convention.

“I’ve said ad nauseum as mayor of the city and leader of the city that there’s far too many people who have access to deadly weapons who should not have access to deadly weapons,” he said.

However, in reference to Governor Tony Evers‘ last-minute effort to ban guns in the “soft perimeter” surrounding the RNC, Johnson said his “hands are tied.”

“If there were an opportunity for us to be able to restrict access to those weapons, especially, I would love to see something like that. However, state law supersedes local ordinances, so we can’t even pass anything that would prohibit the use or the access around firearms in this soft security perimeter that we have.”

Although guns are allowed in the soft perimeter, many other items — including tennis balls, locks, umbrellas and coolers — are not. Firearms are not permitted in the hard security zone, where entry is restricted to credentialed individuals.

The mayor also commented on traffic delays, which are to be expected in Downtown for the duration of the week, and said that two individuals were arrested near the security perimeter last night. Both were presumed to be intoxicated and one sustained minor injuries, according to the mayor.

Monday marks the first day of programming for the RNC, as well as the counter-aligned Coalition to March on the RNC. Johnson said that he does not plan to join the march today, due to prior commitments.

“We all know that is city is a welcoming city,” he said, noting that he hopes to “leave a positive impression of Milwaukee” for all those visiting this week.

“The RNC is not the end, it’s the beginning. There’s so much room for discussion and identifying common interests,” he said. “We can make strides in that direction.”

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