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MILWAUKEE – Is it really a convention if no one is meeting?
The streets were lifeless by the Wisconsin Center on Monday to kick off the quadrennial meeting of Democrats to crown their presidential candidate. A handful of police officers, including Secret Service agents, guarded a fenced arena in which hardly anyone was allowed.
Nearby storefronts and bars that expected to be bustling when this town was announced as the convention site was desolate or closed. The neighboring historic Riverside Concert Hall has been closed. Pedestrians wearing masks strolled through the main streets with few cars. Hotels that were initially sold out operated with on-call and off-duty employees.
“We were set up to have the best year we’ve ever had,” said Kerri Huelsbeck, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, just one block from the arena. “In February, I never imagined we would be there.”
The hotel was only 40% full, the sales manager said. In the almost empty lobby, there was a heart-shaped sticker wall with names on it. On the left were 20 stickers of active employees. On the right were 24 stickers of employees still on leave. Huelsbeck worked double duty as a barista.
The elimination of the convention in person was the latest blow to a city that had overhauled its infrastructure in preparation for a huge year that is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue. Music festivals and sporting events here have been canceled. The hometown Bucks, a contender for this year’s NBA Championship for the first time since 1971, can’t play in front of their fans.
“It could have been a time for Milwaukee to really shine. And now he’s associated with all things negative,” Huelsbeck said with a sigh. “It’s just a little bad.”
No less than 50,000 people were expected here this week, before the coronavirus pandemic struck and turned the convention into an entirely virtual event. Joe Biden is expected to accept the nomination Thursday in remarks broadcast live from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, along with any speakers from Monday who the Democratic National Committee has asked not to come.
Even most of the DNC employees stayed away. President Tom Perez came here to sign documents.
Along the perimeter of the future convention hall were dedicated activists, numbered in a single digit, who made the trip to make a point.
Stephen Parlato from Boulder, Colorado, stood in front of the black fence wearing an N95 mask and holding a piece of art that read “GOVERNMENT BROKEN, LIVES BROKEN”.
He said he planned to protest President Donald Trump at the convention since the 2018 midterm election and that he was not going to let the pandemic put him off.
“I am here to express my deep concern for the well-being of our country if this president is re-elected,” he said. “You have to do what you can do if you want to live with yourself, and if you realize that the moment is as terrible as this for our democracy.”
It was sunny and 80 degrees around midday on Monday.
In a park across the street, a handful of people held up a “Democrats for the Life of America” banner. It was organized by Terrisa Bukovinac from San Francisco, who said she supports many progressive causes but said she could not vote for Biden because he supports the right to abortion.
“We are all pro-life on the left,” she said. “And the only way for us to get any visibility is to show ourselves.”
As she spoke, a man passing by rolled down his window and said “come on Trump” in a monotonous voice. Bukovinac has said she will not vote for President Donald Trump either.
Canceling the convention in person was a big blow to Democrats, who chose Milwaukee to right a past wrong: 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton ignored the state and ended up losing it by less than a point . Election analysts say it could also tip the 2020 result, as Biden leads in recent polls.
On Sunday evening, Trump’s re-election campaign hosted a “Women for Trump” event in the nearby village of Pleasant Prairie, with senior executives Mercedes Schlapp and Erin Perrine.
Ahead of the event, Perrine said Biden’s decision not to appear in person to accept the nomination shows Democrats “think they can take the Badger state for granted.”
“We’re here,” she said moments before walking into a room with several dozen attendees, many of whom were sitting nearby and not wearing masks.
Democrats say their decision to make the convention virtual was designed to save lives in a pandemic they accuse Trump of mismanaging by ignoring policy advice and best practices offered by public health experts.
On Monday, in the city, some businesses were wondering if things would get better, even a little.
“I keep wondering if we’re really going to be busy,” said Mel Wolfe, general manager of a Potbelly Sandwich Shop. “We expected to be very, very busy non-stop every day.”
Even after it went virtual, she said, “I was still hoping for at least a little of something.”
In front of the arena, just behind the fence, five officers stood guard. A secret service agent wearing sunglasses said the convention was designated a special national security event, which meant the agency was responsible for helping to protect it.
But wasn’t it weird to be deployed primarily to keep no one?
“It’s unusual,” the officer said with a shrug.
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