Philly Businesses Warned of Possible Protester Havoc
With the Democratic National Convention coming up quickly, the city of Philadelphia is warning local businesses to lock down possible projectiles and remove possible controversial items in anticipation of tens of thousands of protesters descending upon the DNC. According to The Inquirer Daily News, “the city is suggesting businesses bring in loose planters, take down flags, and secure commercial dumpsters “to avoid misappropriation by demonstrators.”
Protesters march down Market Street in a recent rally. (ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER INQUIRER)
The City of Brotherly Love is ironically expecting somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 protesters per day during the DNC. Places where protesters are anticipated to congregate include FDR Park, Marconi Plaza, Independence Mall, City Hall, and the Municipal Services Building. Marches down Market Street and Broad Street are also planned.
The city is taking a “stay positive” approach to the protesters, unrolling a literal multicolored carpet in the form of a rainbow-hued mural on the Broad Street median. There will also be pop-up music on Broad Street thanks to a $80,000 grant from the Knight Foundation that will create seven spaces for music and art displays. The plan is to stop the music when protesters march by. “We’re not going to play over protesters,” Paul Beideman, president of the Avenue of the Arts, told the News. “That doesn’t get anyone anywhere.”
The Union League, a Republican club on Broad Street, was quoted in the article as feeling ambivalent over taking down its Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Union League flags, which have flown over the club’s entrance for 100 years. On one hand, the League did take down the flags during the “Phillies’ World Series parade in 2008, when store windows along Broad Street were smashed and huge planters were flipped over.” On the other hand, says Jeff McFadden, general manager of the League, they are hoping the protesters will be peaceful and respect personal and public property.
