#RNCinCLE

We feared the worst, but were given the opportunity to prove everyone wrong.

Cleveland, Ohio opened its doors to the world when it hosted the Republican National Convention from July 18 to July 21, 2016. Politicians, delegates, celebrities, law enforcement, media, and just average people from all over the country to witness that would come to this Northeast Ohio city.

With any past political event, protests were the highlight of what was going on outside of the convention center. Cleveland’s newly renovated Public Square was “Ground Zero” for the scheduled protests.

Many groups received permits from the city to demonstrate their protests. Groups that include; Coalition to Stop-Trump, Black Lives Matter, Bikers for Trump, LGBT Rights, Westboro Baptist Church, and many others were permitted to voice their demonstrations through out the 4 days.

Day one of the RNC would prove to be a big one. Groups were given a podium and microphone to share their issues. Others would walk the square with signs and yelling their concerns. Kathy Wray Coleman, of The Coalition of Imperial Women, was protesting for the lives of Black Women in America. Her protest was cut short when police tried to detain her, but then later arrested for failure to comply with Police orders. Despite getting roughed up from avoiding the arrest, the police were peaceful and but a few arrests were made that day.

Few groups would try to test the limits of police officers. On Tuesday, July 19, 2016, an “Anarchist” group lead both police agencies and media groups through a several mile-long protest because the group wasn’t given a permit to protest. The city bound protest ended on East 9th Street, and Lakeside Ave, just a couple yards away from the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Police ended the rally stating, “If you do not disperse in the next 5 minutes, you will be subjected to arrest.”

The remaining two days seemed to have mirrored one another, both extremely hot and demanding days.

After the chase that lead media around the city by the Anarchist group, protests seemed to carry a relaxed vibe. Every so often you would over hear media professionals say things like, “I hope things heat up.” or the common statement was “I just want something to happen already.” Everyone wanted something to happen, something that would be visually striking to their readers or viewers. The most action anyone got on Day 3 was when a car tire popped. Expecting the worst, a sea of police and media stormed the area to investigate the loud “boom” that echoed down E. Superiror Ave. After identifying the noise, police in a matter of minutes searched the car and replaced the tire.

The tire popping symbolized how we all were anticipating the worst, but were given the best. Besides a handful of arrests, Cleveland walked away peaceful and unharmed. As much as the RNC brought people to debate and argue about issues, it also brought everyone together.

Around 6 to 7 every night, the Public Square fountain would go on, laying over a sense of peace and tranquility. You could hear people yelling off in the distance, but the fountain would drown out much of the noise. People would dance in the water, kids would play in it, everyone just seemed to be alive. Huffington Post came out with an article after the RNC, “We were promised a riot. In Cleveland, we got a block party instead.” Cleveland, and the rest of the United States anticipated the worst to happen, but was given the opportunity to meet and share this experience with the world.