The RNC in Cleveland is going to be a violent disaster

Every Trump rally attracts protests- and they aren't wholly peaceful.



A growing concern in Cleveland: Chaos off the convention floor


Amid recurring violence at political rallies held by presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, many local officials and activists are increasingly worried that this lakeside city is ill-prepared to deal with tens of thousands of protesters and agitators expected to descend on the Republican National Convention here in July.


Some worry that police might be overrun or that the city has not stockpiled enough water to hydrate the masses in the mid-summer heat. Others, particularly on the left, oppose new restrictions that will be placed on demonstrators and object to the kind of military-style equipment law enforcement authorities may use to control the crowds.

There is also unhappiness among groups on both sides over the slow progress the city has made in approving parade and demonstration permits with less than two months to go.

On Wednesday, under the threat of a federal lawsuit by some groups upset by delays, city officials finally unveiled an official parade route and speakers’ platform in a major downtown park. Parades and protests will be allowed, but plans by some groups to bring in trucks, horses and, in one case, a giant bomb-shaped balloon might need to be rethought..

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-growing-concern-in-cleveland-chaos-off-the-convention-floor/2016/05/26/a56dfedc-2293-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html


For the Republican National Convention, which runs July 18-21, Cleveland is recruiting additional officers from other jurisdictions, hoping to triple their forces to about 4,000 to 5,000 officers. They have also ordered extra equipment, including 2,500 steel barriers, 16 police motorcycles and 2,000 sets of riot gear with body armor and batons.

But the head of Cleveland's police union told CNN he doubts the city can reach its target of 5,000 officers, and says the extra equipment is not coming fast enough.

"We still don't have the personal safety gear that we need -- elbow pads, knee pads, chest protectors, we don't have helmets, we don't have gas masks, for the rank and file folks that are going to down there," said Stephen Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association. "And when we do get it -- we're 50 days out -- I'm concerned that we're not going to have enough time to adequately train with the equipment, if it does get here in time."

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http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/25/politics/cleveland-prepares-for-rnc-convention-protests/


North Carolina police department pulls out of Republican National Convention

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/28/north-carolina-police-department-pulls-out-republican-national-convention.html