Parking restrictions in place around United Center as police, organizers gear up for DNC protests

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Monday marks one week until the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Parking restrictions went into effect Monday morning. Eight-foot tall barricade fencing will ring the United Center and McCormick Place for a couple of blocks in each direction.

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At around 8 a.m., forklifts came in and dropped off fencing materials.

"Over the last few weeks, you've noticed little bits as I walk and run around the neighborhood. But today's like it's happening next week, so there's much more vigor," said Josh Goralski, who lives nearby.

Residents should expect rolling street closures and parking restrictions throughout the week. Those who live in the area are bracing for the changes.

"There's always traffic due to the concerts and everything so it's going to be extra traffic this time," Nikita Clark, who lives nearby, said.

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Residents are eager to see how the closures impact them and adjustments needed for the next two weeks as the city hosts the DNC in their backyard.

"And so I've been thinking about how does that impact the neighborhood?" Goralski said. "We haven't really been told, can we walk through the secure area, can we not? I'm not in the security bubble, but I'm right on the perimeter so we haven't been told because you're not in it, can still walk through it?"

Parking restrictions beginning Monday around the UC include:

• Washington between Damen and Wood
• Wolcott between Washington and Warren
• And Paulina between Monroe and Adams

Near West Side resident Donald Woodruff is among many upset with the parking restrictions.

"This is too much. In that house right there, he's in a wheelchair. They can't park no place else, man. They got to get to their parking spots, you know?" Woodruff said.

Ald. Walter Burnett, who represents the 27th Ward, says the U.S. Secret Service never communicated those restrictions.

"Today, we got signs put up on the poles outside of the perimeter, saying you can't park from Lake Street to Jackson, from Ashland to Oakley, right? It's hundreds of houses in that area, and we didn't know that," Burnett said. "I came out and saw the sign in front of my house. You make me look disingenuous with my constituents because we have community meetings. We had two community meetings, one on Zoom, one in public, and we told them that they weren't going to be in the perimeter."

People are encouraged to give themselves some extra travel time throughout the convention next week as Near West Siders have a front-row seat to history.

"Are they going to stop me and let me pass?" Clark said. "Can I get in my own apartment? I just want to go in and out of my home safely with my children that's what matters to me."

Authorities will start enforcing the security restrictions and the street closures Friday night around McCormick Place and on Saturday night, around the United Center.

Speaking at the City Club Monday, CPD Supt. Larry Snelling encouraged people to go about their day as they normally do during the DNC.

"Now, will there be some disruptions and traffic thing? Yes, absolutely. Delegates will be moving around you, running on busses. Hotels are going to be fully occupied, so you're going to see a lot more traffic," Snelling said.

But Snelling also promised people will see a lot more police officers around the event sites, adding that Chicago will be ready for whatever happens.

"We're ready to deal with any situation that may come up," Snelling said.

There will be two security zones around the United Center, with the inner one restricted to credentialed foot traffic only. There is a similar security plan for McCormick Place.

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Snelling said the NATO summit from 2012 provided many lessons that Chicago police will use for the DNC.

"All of the things that worked there, we utilized that. We worked it up, we sharpened the saw and made that better. But we also looked at things that we know that we could have done better, and we've taken corrective action with that, and this is how we're working now for the DNC," Snelling said.

Meanwhile, protest organizers have been gearing up for the DNC as well.

The Coalition To March On The DNC, comprised of 200 groups from around the country, is expecting 40,000 protesters for each of two Union Park rallies.

"And that requires housing people. That requires figuring out how people are going to eat. That requires figuring out what people are going to do to help this effort, like the administrative tasks," said Faayani Aboma Mijana with the Coalition To March On The DNC.

The group is committed to peaceful protest, and and Chicago police said they will not tolerate criminal activity.

Police said they are ready for the large-scale demonstrations, and officers have been trained not to escalate situations that don't require that kind of response. CPD will be flexible to whatever the situation calls for.

"What we're looking specifically for are violent actors, those who are committing vandalism, violent attacks against the police, against each other, against our citizens. That's the type of thing that we're not going to tolerate," Snelling said. "There's always a possibility of bad actors out there. We just have to be ready for any information that we gather, we should be ready and able to respond to it."

Workers are continuing the security perimeter preparations on Monday evening. Snelling made it clear Monday that for police, there is a difference between demonstrating and rioting, which Chicago saw during NATO.

"The moment that starts, we're going to intervene. I'm not going to wait until it gets out of control and then try to bring it back in," Snelling said.

Snelling made it clear that demonstrators will be protected, and rioters will be arrested.

But Woodruff said he is not relying on police.

"We're not letting no protesters tear this neighborhood up. I'm going to be sitting right here with my Louisville Slugger," Woodruff said.