The RNC is Not Welcome Here — a Protester’s-Eye View of the March on the RNC

by

Tension grew in Milwaukee in the weeks preceding the Republican National Convention as gates and concrete barriers sprouted up all over downtown. After an assassination attempt on former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, tension morphed into a cloud of blistering apprehension. What can be anticipated in the aftermath of this event, on top of existing impossible political impasses? Should it be given any mind? Should Milwaukeeans carry on as normal, defy and behave rebelliously, or roll up the sidewalk and hide? A delicate balance of personal safety versus necessary action has weighed the minds of many activists in the city.

For the Coalition to March on the RNC, there was never an option. The Coalition is a conglomerate of more than 100 progressive political organizations in and outside of Milwaukee, including the American Party of Labor, the Greater Milwaukee Green Party, Jewish Voice for Peace and Voces de la Frontera, among others. Unified under five common goals, the Coalition makes their stance known—to fight the racist agenda of the Republican Party, to defend women’s, LGBTQ, and reproductive rights, to expand immigrant rights, to bring peace, justice, and equity to all and to stand with Palestine. “We will organize and fight [the far-right] every step of the way: here today and in the months and years to come. All who believe in justice should join us in this struggle.”

The Beginning

Organizers from the many groups that comprise the Coalition began speaking at 10 a.m. on Monday in Red Arrow Park. When pressed for a statement on Trump’s would-be assassination, leaders responded, “What we’re doing today is bigger than Saturday. We know how to keep each other safe.” Each speaker presented a different aspect of the coalition’s points of unity, speaking to personal and familial experiences of suffering in Trump’s America. “We are the opposition in action.”

Hundreds filled the plaza of Red Arrow Park in a beautifully cacophonous mingling of demonstrators representing numerous causes. Pink and green bandanas identified reproductive rights organizers, while neon vests designated safety marshals and march leaders. American, Palestinian and Irish flags billowed. Activists young and old carried signs demanding a better future for the United States. Some focused solely on keeping Trump out of the White House, while others expressed dismay and disappointment with both Trump and Biden. Many protesters had just arrived from out of town—Chicago and Minneapolis unsurprisingly, though others hailed from New Orleans, Tallahassee, and New York City. 

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Between speakers from the Coalition booming over the sound system, cars horns honking in support, provocative billboards on trucks encircling the park, conversation bubbling amongst the crowd and a single fanatic with a megaphone telling the crowd we’d burn in hell after he “found Jesus at a Van Halen concert,” overstimulation of the senses abounded. Cutting through the noise was a sense of urgency and pride. “This is our town,” an organizer stated. “The Republicans can’t just waltz in here. Milwaukee is a union town.”

A variety of national issues motivated attendees to protest. Among them, many were deeply concerned about abortion rights, the U.S. military industrial complex, the integrity of the Supreme Court, living wages, and above all, Project 2025. Emotions were high. Some protesters felt ready and ecstatic to show up in force after years of organizing, while others felt visceral fear and sadness. Understandably, one protester remarked, “What is the point of going to a protest like this if we all agree, anyway?” At the nexus of this grief and determination lay strong solidarity, and even hope.

The March

In the months building to the RNC, the coalition faced many legal barriers to receive their permit to march within sight and sound of the convention. Days before they planned to march, with or without city approval, they were successful in receiving a permit for their route—a double loop of two downtown areas near the Fiserv Forum, starting at the intersection of Water and State Street.

The volume increased as the block lined up to march. A drumline decorated with pride flags and progressive political insignia began to play at the front of the crowd, leading chants. People of all ages and abilities took to the streets, circumventing concrete barriers along the route and filling the complete width of the road. As the march approached the Fiserv Forum, “Donald Trump, here we come!” rang out from the crowd in emphatic unison.

Notably, little opposition was seen or heard at any point during the march. Perhaps a corner preacher here, a Let’s-Go-Brandon t-shirt there. The most significant confrontation faced by the march was a small contingent of anti-choice advocates who assembled at a planned stopping point on the march’s route, near Mader’s Restaurant. This site was noted in advance as a midway point for more coalition leaders to speak. The group of about a dozen pro-life counter protesters attempted to drown out the speakers with bullhorns, and when this failed, a few individuals entered the crowd to instigate and provoke protesters. Their provocation was effortlessly drowned out and blocked by the sheer size of the march.

What Next?

Dread has consumed a great majority of the people of the United States, particularly in the last month as the Biden campaign seemed to falter. Overwhelmingly, even many die-hard Democrats seem to be disappointed with Biden. Resoundingly, Monday’s march showed collective action to be both the most cathartic and effective tool against political repression. The communal nature of a march against a political system so ugly and insidious truly did inspire hope: the insistent distribution of water bottles, the diversity of attendees, the merciful lack of violent altercations. What the future of this election holds is exceedingly uncertain and precarious, this much cannot be denied. What remains, despite it all, is the unwavering strength of the community — both within Milwaukee, and across the country.