CHICAGO — The whole world was watching, and this time, they liked what they saw.
There will be no police bludgeoning protesters, no fist fights on the convention grounds, no vast encampments taking over Grant Park.
In the end, the city's four-day convention saw mostly peaceful protests outside the arena, and inside, it's likely to be remembered more for Lil Jon's splashy surprise appearance than for any political unrest.
Chicago hosted a sometimes-forgettable convention in 1996 that went off without a hitch. Still, for months many experts expected this year's Democratic National Convention in Chicago to resemble the Vietnam War-era convention held in the city in 1968, with days of chaos, violence and bloody clashes between police and crowds.
Instead, the more than 50,000 tourists who flocked to the city enjoyed sunny skies, a sparkling lakefront and a clean, safe downtown.
“They said, 'Is Chicago ready? Is Chicago ready for this tournament?' We heard them all. Chicagoans heard them all,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a press conference Friday.
But ultimately, Johnson said, “They saw the people of Chicago and they fell in love with them. With or without the Democratic National Convention, Chicago is Chicago. And all the beauty on display this week is just a beauty that is a part of who we are.”
Enthusiasm fuelled by Ms Harris' rise to the top of the Democratic field a month ago has drawn even more guests to the big-shouldered city, filling Wrigley Field and restaurants and event venues across the city.
At the same time that Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, slammed Chicago as a “war zone” this week, Chicago police said crime in the city was down compared to the same period a year ago.
There were no major unrests this week despite rising political tensions, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling on Democrats to pressure Israel to end the war with Gaza and for the United States to stop supplying arms to Israel.
There was also dissent. A small group of “neutral” delegates who have sharply criticized the administration's actions supporting Israel in the Gaza war were outraged that the convention made no room for speakers to represent their interests. At least one delegate walked out during Harris' acceptance speech on Thursday, and others turned their backs on the vice president.
Kamala Harris celebrated with her family after accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on the final day of the convention in Chicago on Thursday night. Win McNamee/Getty Images
“We've finally put the ghosts of 1968 behind us. It's a wonderful legacy to have here,” said Ann Caprara, chief of staff to Gov. JB Pritzker, who has worked on planning the convention for more than two years. “The ghosts are completely gone, and that's because of all the preparation and work that was done beforehand to make sure people felt heard and to try to create a philosophical space for people to be in without descending into violence.”
Caprara said the smooth running of the convention was largely due to the lack of conflict among the various organizing groups, including the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service, the Chicago Organizing Committee and the Democratic National Committee.
“The host committee and the (convention committee) had a great relationship. They worked really well together, which isn't often the case,” Caprara said. “There was a lot of synergy between what the Biden and Harris people wanted and needed. They were able to work very well in what are often adversarial relationships.”
Chicago Police Capt. Larry Snelling said there were 74 total convention-related arrests over the past week, mostly in connection to protests, and four people were taken to the hospital, one with a sore finger and another with a sore knee.
Snelling said several of the injured officers refused medical treatment because they did not want to abandon their colleagues, and that the very low number of injuries was a testament to officers who had been trained for more than a year to respect First Amendment rights and show restraint in response to protests.
Police endured people getting up close to their faces, shouting and swearing at them, he said, “and they kept their cool until the end.”
“This is a culmination of the work that was being done in precincts and in our city while other officers were out there protecting people's First Amendment rights,” Snelling said. “Our city was put on display, and it was on display for the whole world to see, no doubt the world was watching, but we showed again that this is not 1968.”
