Amid talk of “clean zones” and anarchists and how our mayor and local officials are planning for worst-case, GOP Convention scenarios, let’s revisit another political convention for perspective. It was April of 1968 and Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daly was gearing up for the Democratic National Convention. Vietnam and race were the driving forces of often riotous protest that tumultuous summer of 1968, and Daly was determined that his city would pass the no-anarchy-on-my-watch test.
Keep in mind that Chicago had already hosted two dozen of these. “The City That Works” knew a thing or two about hosting a political convention. An extra 5,000 cops would underscore the point of preparedness.
On April 15 Daly convened a press conference to set the convention record straight. He said: “I have conferred with the superintendent of police this morning … I said to him very emphatically and very definitely that an order be issued by him immediately to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, because they’re potential murderers, and shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting.”
Whatever the ultimate upshot of “clean zone” (now euphemized to “event zone”) subplots and the protection of rights, lives and property, this is Tampa 2012. Laying down the law–to prevent and pre-empt–is not what it used to be.