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Cleveland, And Activists, Ready for Republican Debate

RNC chair Reince Priebus and members of the Cleveland host committee enter the floor of the Q last year. (Nick Castele / ideastream)
RNC chair Reince Priebus and members of the Cleveland host committee enter the floor of the Q last year.

by Nick Castele

Ten Republican presidential candidates will take the stage at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night. But they won’t be the only people trying to get their message across to the national and international media assembled in Cleveland.

As the clock ticks down to the Republican debate, the city is getting ready for the security—and protests—that come with visits by presidential contenders. 

Civil rights group Color of Change announced plans to buy billboards in the area calling attention to the deaths of black men and women at the hands of police. The billboard designs refer to three Ohio cases—those of Tanisha Anderson, John Crawford and Tamir Rice.

And other groups are planning demonstrations just outside the Q.

"We’re really excited to have the Republicans in Cleveland, and we’re really excited to let them know our opinions on many issues," Toni Roszsahegyi, an organizer with progressive group Code Pink, said. 

Hers and other groups say they’ll protest Donald Trump’s comments about immigrants, as well as Republican opposition to the President’s executive actions on immigration.

A new city ordinance requires demonstrators to obtain a permit before taking over the street. Roszsahegyi said she didn’t apply for that permit, but did give city officials a heads-up about the event. She said Thurdsay will give her some sense as to how the city will receive protests a year from now.

"We see this as sort of a practice run as to how things are going to go when the RNC convention is in town, because this is a big first for Cleveland," she said. 

Two lanes on Huron Road near the Q will be closed Wednesday. The whole street shuts down Thursday, between Ontario and East 7th. And the corner of Huron and Prospect will be closed, too. 

Nick Castele was a senior reporter covering politics and government for Ideastream Public Media. He worked as a reporter for Ideastream from 2012-2022.