page_title: 2012 Democratic National Convention
section_title: Protest activity and policing
hierarchical_section_title: 2012 Democratic National Convention / Protest activity and policing
caption_attribution_description: Manning March Standoff 3
context_page_description: The 2012 Democratic National Convention was a gathering, held from September 3–6, 2012, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which delegates of the Democratic Party nominated President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for reelection, in the 2012 United States national election.
  On April 3, 2012, President Barack Obama won the Maryland and District of Columbia primaries, giving him more than the required 2,778 delegates to secure the presidential nomination. He had previously announced that Vice President Joe Biden would remain as his vice presidential running mate in his re-election bid.
context_section_description: Protest activity and demonstrations was anticipated at the convention. Over ninety organizations gathered into a group known as the Coalition to March on Wall St. South, and have declared their intention to protest at the convention. The left-leaning coalition reflects the rhetoric and ideology of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and several Occupations from North Carolina are endorsers of the coalition. Demonstrators say they want to call attention to the influence of corporations on politics as well as the role of the military-industrial complex in US politics; they have scheduled a dance party to honor imprisoned soldier Chelsea Manning.  One group of undocumented immigrant workers is traveling to the convention via bus, "The Undocubus." They risk deportation if they are arrested for civil disobedience.
  Charlotte received a $50 million grant from the federal government for convention security. The city spent roughly $25 million on its police force. Some of the money has been allocated to police bicycles ($303,596), software ($61,000), and a 'command center upgrade' ($704,795). The city also spent $937,852 on officers from neighboring forces.
  In anticipation of protest activity, the city of Charlotte passed a variety of new ordinances. These include:
  Rules prohibiting camping on public property.
  Restricting the possession and use of a list of different items during and within the boundaries of a declared "extraordinary event":  permanent markers; backpacks carried with the intent to conceal weapons; cables; bars; projectiles; spray guns; breakable containers capable of being filled with a flammable substance carried with the intent to inflict serious injury; aerosol containers; fireworks; smoke bombs; pepper spray or mace carried with the intent to delay, obstruct or resist the lawful orders of a law enforcement officer; masks or scarves worn with the intent to hide one's identity while committing a crime; body-armor or helmets carried or worn with the intent to delay, obstruct or resist the lawful orders of a law enforcement officer; and police scanners.
  These ordinances were permanent and remained effective after the end of the convention. The camping prohibition was used to evict Occupy Charlotte from its encampment in January 2012. . A request by Occupy Charlotte to enjoin enforcement of the camping prohibition was rejected by a State Court judge in March 2012.
  The DNC was designated a National Special Security Event, and the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security did some of the policing. The Charlotte Police Department was also responsible for the areas outside the convention venues. Police noted that it would be relatively easy to surround protestors in the city's downtown business district, which is enclosed by expressway.
  By contract the DNC required Charlotte to create a demonstration area for people to exercise their First Amendment rights. Eventually the city of Charlotte became an open Free Speech Zone with peaceful protests, pickets, and pamphlets throughout the city.
caption: Police working crowd control near the NASCAR Hall of Fame during Manning-related protests
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