Good morning, Chicago.
The Democratic National Convention has ended.
Here’s a look back at the past week, including the sights and sounds of the DNC, Police Chief Larry Snelling’s victory lap, a photojournalist’s take on the protests, and what’s next for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
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Kamala Harris’ racial and cultural firsts were on display on stage at the Democratic convention
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the night she became the first woman of Black or South Asian descent to be nominated for president by a major party, did not explicitly mention what racial and gender firsts she would seek if elected to the White House.
Instead, she opted for direct mentions of her multiracial background and upbringing. She paid homage to her roots as the daughter of a brown woman and a Caribbean man. She celebrated the multicultural village of “aunties” and “uncles” in California’s Bay Area. And after her speech, the family members who joined her onstage for the traditional balloon drop were people of different and often multiple, overlapping races, like Harris herself. Western dress and saris were worn side by side.
It was a way for Harris and others at the convention to showcase her personal story while also offering a visual political message that could resonate with a broad range of people who see themselves in families like hers. About 12.5% of U.S. residents identified with two or more races in 2022, up from 3% a decade earlier, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most comprehensive survey of American life.
Chicago’s top cop takes victory lap after DNC protests
The specter of 1968—with its angry confrontations and police brutality—hung heavy over Chicago in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention, as if the largely uneventful 1996 convention had never happened.
Public concern grew further in May, when the city’s inspector general issued a report warning that the police department’s “outdated concepts and tactics” could pose a danger to officers and protesters when Democrats came to town to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination as commander in chief.
But none of these large-scale fears have come true.
“Can we stop talking about 1968?” Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling asked at a news conference Friday. “2024 is the new normal, and the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are setting that new normal in the field.”
A photojournalist watches the protests during the four-day event
Photojournalist Armando L. Sanchez filmed the protests for the Chicago Tribune.
Under the DNC spotlight, Mayor Brandon Johnson attempted to promote a progressive, pro-union brand
Now that the convention is over, Mayor Brandon Johnson can hope that Chicago’s smooth and successful career as a host city will burnish his political star and inject new energy into a stalled progressive agenda.
The DNC put Chicago in the spotlight, but it also emptied the Loop of office workers, hurting some restaurants. “It was just a bad week, more than anything.”
Chicago stepped into the spotlight as host of the Democratic National Convention, with Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Democratic Party earning praise for pulling off an event without major disruptions. But while the roughly 50,000 attendees enjoyed raucous nights at the United Center, parties at Navy Pier and perfect sunny days, many downtown business owners said it was a tough week.
“We lost about 60 to 70 percent of our lunch business,” said Brad Alaoui, chief operating officer of Roanoke Hospitality and operator of The Roanoke restaurant at 135 W. Madison St. “The Loop was a real ghost town. It was scary how slow it was.”
City officials said the convention would raise the profile of Chicago and boost downtown businesses. But many employers, concerned about traffic congestion and potential chaos from the protests, advised their workers to stay home during the four-day convention, potentially costing restaurants and stores their regular customers.
What life is like when the DNC is your neighbor for a week
As the crowd at the United Center swelled last week and Democratic organizers banded together to drum up enthusiasm for the party’s nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the spectacle was nothing short of a “troublemaker” for Dee Henderson.
Henderson’s back porch looks directly out onto the large arena that was designated as the center of the convention, with political speeches and late-night events. The high steel fencing officials erected around the center nearly touches the above-ground pool where her grandson likes to swim on hot summer days.
“They locked me in,” said Henderson, who has lived behind the United Center for the past half century in one of the last single-family residential buildings on the block.
Roads around Chicago are reopening as the DNC ends. Here’s when all the security perimeters are removed.
The security perimeters set up for the Democratic National Convention are beginning to dissipate as the event wraps up and state representatives and party officials head home. Normal traffic routes around McCormick Place and the United Center will be restored beginning Friday and will be completed by Monday, according to a Thursday news release from Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Department of Transportation.
DNC Spotlight Highlighted Clean CTA Stations and Helpful Staff
After years of complaints about service, cleanliness and safety, the CTA faced a major test this week during the Democratic National Convention.
With tens of thousands of politicians, dignitaries, protesters and media in town, the agency was tasked with showcasing Chicago to a national audience while also serving ordinary residents as they traveled through the city. And many said the week was marked by clean trains and stations and reliable service.
Some Illinois representatives questioned whether the experience on the CTA would be the same year-round.
“They absolutely did their best,” said Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, a member of the Illinois delegation who said she rode with the CTA regularly during the event.
“Man, if only it was this clean every day,” she added later. “If only there were this many people on the train every day.”
From friendship bracelets to camo hats: What the Chicago DNC fashion of the past week tells us about today’s politics
As cameras panned through the convention crowd at the United Center, the names of Kamala Harris and her vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz, appeared on shirts, hats and buttons. And of course, there was a lot of blue — but some people thought long and hard about their fashion choices. Seriously, “clothing matters,” according to one political science professor, who said it’s a tool politicians use to rally support among potential voters and communicate with their supporters.
Lil Jon and Stevie Wonder, Country Artists, and Beyoncé Rumors: The DNC Soundtrack
Some of the most talked-about moments from the 2024 Democratic National Convention had little to do with policy and campaigning and almost everything to do with the soundtrack.
