CHICAGO — The second day of the Democratic National Convention drew a slurry of small protests outside the convention, held in the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, as delegates filed in on Tuesday afternoon.
The protests gathered as Democrats prepared to hear from former President Barack Obama, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and first lady Michelle Obama that evening.
Outside the gates to the security zone that surrounds the United Center was a handful of protestors concerned about a slew of different issues, including the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protesting animal testing, pro-Palestinian protestors calling for a ceasefire, and anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ protestors raising tensions.
Pro-Palestinian protestors, with the group Code Pink — a women-led pro-Palestinian organization — clad in pink Keffiyehs passed out fact sheets to delegates on how to push the administration to work on a ceasefire for the conflict in Gaza.
Danka Katovich, of Chicago, was among the dozen pro-Palestinian protestors calling for an arms embargo on Israel, which would prevent new sales of weapons to Israel, and to call for a ceasefire.
“We’re trying to bring the message of peace to the delegates — the DNC,” Katovich said. “Vice President [Kamala] Harris is a sitting elected official that was elected to serve the needs of the people, and we don’t believe she’s doing that, so what a better time than when she’s here in Chicago to make those demands clear.”
Democrats have struggled to cope with the fractures caused by the conflict in Gaza that has divided the party.
Pro-Palestinian protestors, including Code Pink, have called on President Joe Biden to embargo news arms sales to Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire.
Now that Harris has taken over as the party’s nominee, she faces much of the same pressures as Biden. Harris has committed to calling for a ceasefire and has taken a different approach to dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu than Biden.
Harris has also reportedly agreed to meet with members of the uncommitted movement, an organization that asked Democrats to vote uncommitted during the Primary season to get Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The convention also hosted a Pro-Palestinian panel for the first time signaling that under Harris the party is working to bridge the divides.
Much larger protests were held on Monday, including a March on the convention, and more are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.
Other groups were present to bring awareness, including the Trail of Truth, which aimed to bring awareness to the opioid epidemic and advocate for policies relating to drug addiction treatment.
The group painted cutout tombstones with the names and stories of people who died from overdoses involving opioids. Alexis Pleus, of Binghamton, New York, was with the group and said she lost her son 10 years ago to the opioid epidemic.
“I’m trying to raise awareness about the issue, trying to get elected officials and candidates to talk about it again because they have stopped talking about it,” Pleus said. “It’s like America has accepted that [the opioid epidemic is] going on, and it’s really not okay.”
Other groups, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, were there to protest animal testing and protested outside the security perimeter.
Religious extremists also protested outside the DNC with signs that read “Homo Sex is a Sin” to “Abortion is murder” on large signs, agitating other protestors there to support Democrats.
Nadine Seiler, 59, of Waldorf, Maryland, said she supported Democracy but could care less about either party which she called corrupt. Seiler said that while she is okay with Kamala Harris and will vote for her in November, she feels she is instead supporting Democracy.
“Right now we have an existential threat today to the United States and the ideas that America stands for,” Seiler said of Trump’s candidacy. “So I’m concerned. So I am voting for democracy. I’m not voting for Kamala Harris. Ultimately, what I’m voting for is democracy.”