MILWAUKEE — Much of the west side of downtown Milwaukee and some areas east of the Milwaukee River will be inside a security zone during next summer’s Democratic National Convention, officials announced.
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said Friday every resident and business in the zone will have access to their property, the Journal Sentinel reported. The main inconvenience for residents will be travel times, officials said.
It’s still not known which part of downtown will be behind barriers or fences. Officials said they have outlined a broad security footprint and the small, more restricted area should be announced later.
The main convention venues include Fiserv Forum, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Miller High Life Theatre and the Wisconsin Center.
The zone includes many of the hotels that delegates and attendees will be using, including the headquarters hotel, Hilton Milwaukee City Center, as well as the Saint Kate and Hyatt Regency.
It also includes Milwaukee Area Technical College, which won’t have classes at its downtown location during convention week.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett stressed that no businesses will be asked to close during the convention.
“We are a city, and that means we will be in full operation at the time of the convention,” Barrett said.
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