Chicago Gears Up for DNC Amid Protests and Security Concerns

Business owners describe a mixture of fear, excitement, dissatisfaction with authority outreach, and hope for peace in the long, warm week ahead.

Union workers set up a perimeter as preparations are made ahead of the Democratic National Convention outside the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 16, 2024. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Chicago will be bustling with political leaders, delegates, media, law enforcement, and demonstrators as it hosts the Democratic National Convention (DNC) from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.

With everything from high-profile speeches to polarizing protests on the menu, business owners and locals expressed a mixture of fear, excitement, dissatisfaction with outreach, and hope for peace during the long, warm week ahead.