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Republican National Convention 2016: Security Concerns, Protests, And Who Is Speaking

By Kirsten Silven
Published on: 07:26 PST, Jul 17, 2016

As the Republican National Convention gets ready for the party’s biggest gathering of the 2016 election season, tensions are already running high thanks to a number of security concerns and planned protests. Still, the most recent RNC lineup has new schedule updates and will feature a variety of high-profile speakers, as well as nearly 2,500 delegates and 2,300 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, who will all be in Cleveland to see Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence accept the GOP nomination, reported the New York Times.

The Republican National Convention will take place Monday, July 18 through Thursday, July 21, and organizers have unveiled a predictably provocative schedule, including sharp attacks against Hillary Clinton that involve a presentation on the sexual adventures of Bill Clinton and an evening highlighting the Benghazi attacks. RNC schedule details emerged as Mr. Trump took to social media Friday to confirm his choice of a running mate, which added to security concerns.

According to the New York Times, the Republican National Convention roster of speakers – in true Trump fashion – is shaping up to be the most “unorthodox and controversial conservative gathering in recent American political history.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, the event schedule is dominated by friends and family of Mr. Trump, including his supermodel wife, Melania Trump, Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to command a space shuttle mission, and professional golfer Natalie Gulbis in a move that appears to be a bid by the presumptive nominee to counter ongoing protests that claim Trump is sexist.

“Speeches by Washington insiders and party elites have been mostly replaced by an eclectic lineup that includes astronauts, sports stars and even an Ultimate Fighting Championship guru.”

Other planned speakers on the current schedule for the Republican National Convention will reportedly include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, actor Scott Baio, and retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Dr. Ben Carson are also on the schedule to speak at the upcoming Republican National Convention.

According to Newsweek, the Republican National Convention Committee selected Cleveland in 2014 as the site of its 2016 convention in part because the city is located in the important swing state of Ohio, where President Barack Obama beat Republican rival Mitt Romney in 2012 and John McCain in 2008.

Despite the predictable fanfare and excitement surrounding the 2016 Republican National Convention, however, this year, the event is also expected to attract a record number of protestors, reported the New York Times.

“Crowds of protestors were expected to pack the streets of downtown Cleveland on Sunday just as Republicans were arriving for Monday’s kickoff of the Republican National Convention.”

The planned protests will focus on a wide variety of agendas, including a coalition planning to hold a “Shut Down Trump at the RNC” march, as well as mass protests organized by Black Lives Matter and the New Black Panther Movement that will take place outside of the Republican National Convention Hall. In what might be the most shocking planned protest at the RNC, Esquire reported that 100 naked women are planning to stand facing the Quicken Loans Arena holding large round mirrors as part of an art installation titled “Everything She Says Means Everything.”

“I could never have imagined there would be such a heightened attention to the mail-versus-female dynamic of this Cleveland juggernaut of a convention,” stated organizing artist Spencer Tunick. “But I feel like doing this will sort of calm the senses.”

So why are mirrors included in the planned protest? Tunick says they communicate that we are all a reflection of ourselves and the world that surrounds us.

To mitigate the chance of serious violence and to bolster security at the 2016 Republican National Convention, the City of Cleveland will, quite literally, have an army ready when the doors open Monday, reported CNN. Security measures include more than $93 million in federal money being spent on security for the RNC this week and the Democratic National Convention next week in Philadelphia. That money is paying for thousands of officers equipped with the latest gear and added support from the Ohio Army National Guard.

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