Downtown restaurants, bars and other businesses experienced a slowdown in business – at dramatic levels in some cases – on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.
In one illustration of that dip, Journal Sentinel dining critic Rachel Seis posted a photo on X of an almost eerie sight: a nearly empty Milwaukee Public Market.
Milwaukee Public Market at 6 p.m. this evening. pic.twitter.com/PRcTAhVtLX
— Rachel Seis (@rachelbernhard) July 16, 2024
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Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson surmised it was the drawn-out anticipation over the arrival of Donald Trump at Fiserv Forum, which kept thousands of convention attendees inside the arena for several hours.
“I was in Fiserv Forum, and I heard these announcements myself,” Johnson said at an early morning press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday. “There was an announcement made to the conventiongoers that Donald Trump would be making an appearance in the convention hall. And then it (was repeatedly) delayed. And folks, not wanting to miss the appearance of their nominee, who all of us know, and thankfully so, survived an assassination attempt on Saturday, so they waited and instead of going out they went to Convention Fest.”
Johnson noted that Convention Fest, a marketplace of local food and retail vendors, is being held inside the “hard” security zone around Fiserv Forum. “So folks were able to support local businesses on the ground in Milwaukee that way,” he said.
Johnson is convinced that activity will pick up at Downtown businesses in the remaining days of the convention. “I think it’s more of an anomaly just because folks had to wait. They chose to wait,” he said. “I think that many people would have waited to see their presidential nominee come into the convention hall.”
The opening day of the convention brought Milwaukee considerable positive attention across the country and “literally around the world,” Johnson said.
“I’ve talked to a number of people who have been here and have walked around the city and gone out into some of the neighborhoods,” he said. “Folks were particularly happy about walking along Lake Michigan, going to some of the parks and going up to Bradford Beach.”
Law enforcement officers made three arrests on Monday.
“One occurred in the middle of the afternoon,” Johnson said. “An individual who was climbing a fence into a restricted area. By the way, this was his second arrest related to the RNC in two days. A second arrest was in the evening. An individual was blocking traffic and didn’t move when officers repeatedly asked him to do so.”
Johnson noted that traffic Downtown has been slowed considerably, particularly in the restricted areas. “As people become more accustomed to the restrictions, I suspect that traffic snarls are going to ease,” he said.
Demonstrations on Monday – including the one staged by the Coalition to March on the RNC, which clashed with the city over protest plans – proceeded with virtually no problems, according to Johnson. “The largest gathering on Monday went off very peacefully, the one that began at Red Arrow Park,” he said, citing the Coalition to March on the RNC. One arrest was made for disorderly conduct at the conclusion of that demonstration.
“Most importantly, no one was hurt and there was no significant property damage that was reported as a result of these demonstrations,” Johnson said.
Much like he did on Monday, Johnson noted the extensive measures that are in place to ensure the safety of the public.
“We are officially through the first day of the Republican National Convention and by my most important measures, things are going pretty well, and I say that because we’ve been able to maintain safety thanks to all of the partners who stepped up to make sure that this is a safe convention,” Johnson said.
Johnson also used the session to call on residents to vote in the upcoming elections.
“I want to express to everyone, that voting is extremely important,” he said. “Many people throughout our history have sacrificed a great deal in order for us to have that right, in order for us to cast ballots and vote. It’s our right and our duty to vote. You need to get up, you need to get out and you need to vote. The election this November is important in setting the country’s future direction and so we must express our preferences.”
