Cleveland Prepares for Riots at Republican Convention

• By Sydny Shepard
• Apr 14, 2016

As Cleveland prepares to host the Republican National Convention this summer, they are making sure that security is a top priority.

Due to the amount of crime at the rallies of the republican front runners, Cleveland officials have decided to dedicate $20 million (of the $50 million given to the city to cover costs of the convention) to obtaining riot and security gear ahead of the republican event.

Based on public documents, Cleveland has been asking for a wide range of security related things, from hay for police horses to riot gear. Their plans of purchase include 2,000 sets of full-body riot suits for police, 24 sets of ballistic body armor, 300 patrol bikes and more than 3.7 miles of interlocking steel barriers, all of which will be used to curtail protesters.

Cleveland police are expecting the worst to happen, especially given the inflammatory campaign rhetoric this political season. Republican front runner, Donald Trump, has publicly said that he would expect riots if he did not win the nomination.

If Trump is unable to receive the 1,237 delegates to win the GOP nomination outright, it would lead to a rare contested or brokered convention. In this scenario, most convention delegates would be free to vote for whomever they want, voting in successive rounds until once candidate earns an outright majority.

This situation could lead to some serious unrest with the attendees of the convention, leading to conflict that police are preparing for. Even Republican candidate Ted Cruz believes there would be a “revolt” if the republican convention chose anyone other than the running candidates for the nomination.

Until then, Cleveland police are training for the events that could unfold during the convention whether they come from unhappy republican attendees or protesters of the event and its candidates.