Ready or not, here comes the Republican National Convention. Next Monday through Thursday, downtown Milwaukee will be a hub of political activity and tourism.
Some folks are happily anticipating the event and its potential to boost the city’s economy. VISIT Milwaukee is estimating a $200 million return. But others are disappointed the city is welcoming a political party that they say is one of hate, whose leader shows disdain for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is a traditionally blue city. So just how did it manage to hook the Republican National Convention? Could it be Wisconsin’s reputation as a key battleground state in presidential elections?
Orlando Owens, chair of the Milwaukee North GOP thinks so. "I really think it was an opportunity for the Republicans to look at a battleground state and see can we impact it with our conversations here letting people know how important Wisconsin, in particular Milwaukee, is to an election. And Donald Trump also agrees that this is a great opportunity to see what we can do in Wisconsin, particularly Milwaukee," Owens says.
Not everyone in Milwaukee shares the excitement.
They refer to the incident last month, when Trump allegedly called Milwaukee a “horrible city” during a meeting with GOP congressmen.
The former president and other Republicans say the comment was taken out of context, and that Trump was referring to concerns over crime and election security. Alina Cunningham thinks Trump shared his true thoughts with the “horrible city” comment. She recently attended a Biden-Harris rally targeting Black voters.
"He probably meant exactly what he said. And uh, wow. I’m not really surprised anyway because it’s Trump. He just says whatever he wants to say and gets away with everything," Cunningham says.
Cunningham doesn’t recommend Milwaukee to roll out the red carpet for Trump. Neither does Kimberly Evans-Green, who was also at the Biden-Harris rally.
"Why open it up for Trump who has a hate for Milwaukee?" says Evans-Green. "Why have the RNC here in a state, or in a county that Trump so much? If he think it’s a lot of crime here and Milwaukee is horrible, why have the RNC here?"
But people aren’t just upset about language. Some are opposed to the RNC being here because they believe Republican extremists will be among the visitors, bringing the potential for violence.
Several organizations denounced the city’s decision to push for the convention. One of them is the local non-profit, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, or BLOC.
Here’s BLOC's executive director, Angela Lang. "It was, I think, easy for us to be outspoken, because this is not the same Republican Party of say, like George Bush, where while we may disagree, this may be an inconvenience for us, but we'll just get over it," Lang says. "Now, this is a Republican Party who relies on hateful rhetoric, the (former) President uses offensive, to say the least, type of language in reference to our own community and to so many others that are marginalized. And it just felt wholly inappropriate that in a city like Milwaukee, which is majority Black and brown and people of color, that we are welcoming such a hateful, bigoted, party to town."
Lang says not all Republicans are far-right extremists. But she says the party hasn’t distanced itself from violent extremism or denounced hateful rhetoric. So, she says, it might as well be an endorsement. And Lang says Trump’s alleged “horrible city” comment is a reminder that national and Wisconsin Republicans often take the opportunity to disparage Milwaukee and its residents.
Lang won’t be in town for the RNC. BLOC made the decision to go on vacation next week out of concerns for the safety of its staff. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who is Black, maintains that the RNC is a great opportunity for the city. He says the convention is “the beginning” of Milwaukee being considered a contender for other big events.
"It presents an opportunity to elevate Milwaukee, you know, to put Milwaukee in a position of national and global prominence to attract other large-scale things that will positively impact Milwaukee in the future."
Johnson says Milwaukee will be a gracious host for the RNC, but the decision to do so is not an endorsement of the Republican Party or its policies. He says for people who oppose the GOP, they can use it to their advantage as reporters from around the globe gather here to cover the convention.
Johnson says, "Folks in Milwaukee have the biggest microphone in the world to talk about the negative policy platforms that the Republican Party has."
