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Police presence is unmistakeable at RNC
CLEVELAND
The level of security throughout downtown Cleveland for the Republican National Convention is impossible to miss.
And for some delegates, it’s causing issues.
“It’s very, very difficult to navigate through the city because you don’t know where the [police] barriers are. And if you’re not from the city, you don’t know what roads you can and can’t walk down,” said Tracey Winbush of Youngstown, a delegate and Mahoning County Republican Party vice chairwoman, on Monday, the first day of the four-day event.
“There isn’t consistency inside the security zones,” she added. “Some parts are empty of people because security is moving them along, and others have thousands of people waiting because there aren’t enough officers. The flow of people moving is different everywhere. It’s a logistical thing.”
Winbush spoke to The Vindicator about security while waiting a short distance from Quicken Loans Arena. She said she was there awaiting the arrival of friends who were delayed because of security issues.
John Creed of Liberty, an alternate delegate, said, “It takes a while to get organized. By the second day, they will get organized. They’re here for my safety. I feel very comfortable with them here.”
Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Mark Munroe of Boardman, an alternate delegate, said the Ohio delegation was told Monday that there are more law-enforcement officers per square meter around the convention than any other place in the world right now.
That happened after a Monday breakfast of the delegation at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, where many Ohio delegates are staying.
The media were ordered to leave in order for the delegates to be given security instruction. They mostly were told to use “common sense,” Munroe said.
“I’m absolutely seeing the police presence,” he said. “I walked from the hotel to [the Q]. That’s about a mile. You could hardly walk a few feet without seeing a police officer. The increased law-enforcement presence is obvious.”
There are about 5,500 law-enforcement officers at the RNC: 3,000 federal officers, 2,000 from departments not in Cleveland – including seven Youngstown officers and two Mahoning County sheriff deputies – and 500 Cleveland officers.
Groups of them, mostly armed, can be seen walking on the city’s streets, while others are directing traffic and manning baggage and credential-check stations.
“The armed officers are dramatically higher than at the two other conventions I’ve attended,” Munroe said. “In terms of the number of security officers I’m seeing here, this is the most of any convention.”
But with the recent mass shootings, it is wise to have increased security at the convention, he said.
Creed said he expects officers to find the “hired guns,” those he described as paid to organize a message and teach people to protest in a disruptive manner, and have them removed shortly.
He said he marveled at officers on bicycles – saying their riding and parking skills “are wonderful to watch.”
Though there are numerous protesters just outside the security perimeter, they largely are invisible in the restricted area near the Q.