Chicago is bracing for tens of thousands of protesters — mostly driven by the war in Gaza — during the Democratic National Convention.
Protesters gathered in Union Park on Monday morning ahead of demonstrations that are slated to begin at noon.
A protest organizer said charter buses are being used to bring protesters to the city.
"So we've got about 100 people getting onto buses ... Professionals will be driving them here, grab some breakfast in the morning before they get to the park," a protester told Scripps News.
The protesters are planning to march toward the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held. However, it's unclear how close to the arena they will get due to security measures that are in place.
"So we've been preparing for over a year for this and we're prepared for whatever number of people decide to show up in the City of Chicago," said Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry B. Snelling.
While Monday's march is expected to be bigger, anti-war protesters hit the streets Sunday night with no major incidents. However, a pro-Palestinian protester was removed from a DNC event at Navy Pier Sunday night after grabbing a microphone and shouting about the thousands of deaths in Gaza, calling it a genocide.
The U.S. and Israel have repeatedly denied that genocide is taking place in Gaza, placing the blame on Hamas for the initial Oct. 7 attacks that led to the incursion.
