PHOENIX (AZ Family/AP) — The Democratic Party Convention begins in Chicago on Monday. Around 50,000 people are expected in the Windy City. Among them are thousands of anti-war activists who plan to demonstrate near the United Center.
President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker on the first night. Later this week, Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Chicago that President Joe Biden looks forward to addressing his party and the nation as the DNC keynote speaker on Monday night.
“He will represent the moment we are in well,” she said. “This is a fulfilling moment for him.”
The speech, which follows an address by First Lady Jill Biden, is likely to serve as a kind of political farewell for the president, who has given up his candidacy for a second term due to age concerns.
The rest of the speeches, which are expected to last about five hours, will include a mix of Democratic Party stars and labor leaders. Representative James Clyburn and Senator Chris Coons, two of Biden’s closest allies, will deliver remarks. So will Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state who failed in her own presidential campaign.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain will appear alone, while other union leaders will share the stage earlier in the evening.
As with any convention, there is a chance that lesser-known politicians will use the speaking time to make their mark. Speakers include California Rep. Robert Garcia, Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, New York Rep. Grace Meng and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Meanwhile, protesters gathered in Union Park, where a number of speakers addressed the crowd Monday afternoon ahead of a planned march.
Amid chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” protest leaders condemned American politicians from across the political spectrum and listed their demands.
“The Democratic leaders say a lot of nice things about the communities that helped them get elected,” organizer Kobi Guillory yelled into a microphone. “But they prove by their actions that they serve the same corporate interests as the Republicans.”
Andrew Josefchak told the crowd that their movement must continue to grow and build on the momentum created by the large-scale protests on college campuses in the spring.
“We shouldn’t have to choose whose lives we care about in an election. And a stand against genocide shouldn’t be treated like a fringe issue, and we’re going to make sure it’s not treated like a fringe issue,” he said. “Some people think social change is going to be brought about by the delegates in the DNC, but the reality is that we’re going to bring it about and it’s going to happen in the streets.”
“We make it clear that we will not give our vote to anyone who oversees genocide, the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian children, families and future prospects,” Sara Mahmoud of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression told the group of protesters.
Police told Gray DC they were prepared for possible protests in the coming days.
“We are prepared for any number of people that show up here in the city of Chicago,” said Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling.
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