Historian Michael Phillips spoke Friday about the political history of Dallas and the protests at Dallas’ 1984 Republican National Convention.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
A new generation of activists is preparing a series of protests when President Donald Trump arrives next month in Dallas for a national rally, 42 years after demonstrators targeted the city’s last Republican national convention.
The Dallas Against the Trump Agenda coalition is seeking city permits, lining up legal support, organizing safety training and even arranging sign-making sessions ahead of the Sept. 9-10 convention at the American Airlines Center.
The coalition brings together North Texas organizations opposing the war with Iran and Trump administration policies on immigration, policing, labor, education and public services. Organizers say they want convention week to include voices beyond those of “politicians, billionaires and Republican Party officials.”
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Its members include the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression DFW, the DFW Anti-War Committee, El Movimiento and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Jo Hargis of the DFW Anti-War Committee said the coalition is inviting organizations nationwide to participate and is ready to work with others opposed to the Trump administration.
“People are welcome from all around the country to join in this protest,” Hargis said.
Coalition leaders outlined their efforts at a meeting late Friday, offering the most detailed look yet at how they want to confront Trump as Dallas moves to the center of the political fight in the runup to the November elections.
Dallas police said the department is aware of the planned demonstrations but has not announced protest zones or a march route. Spokesperson Corbin Rubinson said officials will release some details later about security perimeters, including maps of traffic impacts and detours.
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A protest flyer calling for groups to confront the Republican midterm convention next month in Dallas.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Meanwhile, Kristin Lowman, a spokesperson for the Secret Service’s Dallas field office, said Friday that authorities and partner agencies have developed a “coordinated security plan” to protect attendees and the public while allowing lawful protest.
Related: Who pays Dallas costs at Trump convention?
Coalition members said they have met with Dallas police and discussed establishing a protest site near the arena, a common practice for cities hosting political conventions.
“We are still ironing out the details,” said Xavier Velasquez of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression DFW.
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In the coming weeks, organizers plan to connect with groups that participated in earlier demonstrations, including the No Kings protests, while preparing supporters for the conditions they could encounter. Their plans include:
Safety training and guidance for responding to different situations
Buddy systems to help participants remain together
Water and other precautions for the September heat
Sign-making sessions before the convention
Coordination with groups offering free legal assistance
Guidance against bringing firearms or other weapons
The coalition also is talking with legal aid groups about assisting protesters if they are arrested or believe city, state or federal authorities have restricted their First Amendment rights.
The September gathering differs from the Republican National Convention held every four years to formally nominate the party’s presidential ticket. The two-day event instead is being organized as a political rally and messaging platform.
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Trump is expected to be a central figure as Republicans seek to energize Texas supporters, promote GOP candidates and highlight the administration’s policies.
Flashback to ’84
As organizers prepare, they are studying what happened the last time the city hosted a Republican national convention.
About a dozen coalition members crowded into a small room Friday evening in southern Dallas to hear historian Michael Phillips discuss the protests and political tensions surrounding the 1984 GOP convention that nominated Ronald Reagan for a second term as president.
At the Dallas meeting, red curtains blocked the evening sun. At the door hung a piece of fabric with the message, “Chinga la migra,” Spanish slang expressing opposition to immigration enforcement.
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Phillips, author of White Metropolis: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in Dallas, 1841-2001, described how the protesters four decades ago mobilized and how Dallas authorities responded.
Jo Hargis of the DFW Anti-War Committee (right) listens to a speaker at an event Friday hosted by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, a group plannning a series of protests at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
For those in the room, it was not simply a history lesson. They wanted to know what lessons from the 1984 convention could guide their preparations for September.
Blake Van Wicklen, an organizer with El Movimiento, said he sees the coalition as a way to bring together organizations that often work on different causes and establish a lasting activist movement.
Van Wicklen said he and other young organizers feel as though they are “standing on the shoulders” of those who came before them, including those from 1984.
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“Dallas has this tradition of strong activism as much as people try to cover it up and bury it,” he said.
Phillips said protesters likely will face a different political and law-enforcement environment this time, citing recent clashes over federal immigration enforcement and warning of a strong police response.
Related: Dallas’ last GOP convention left taxpayers a bill. What about this one?
He also urged them to watch for people who might try to provoke violence and to make clear that participants should not bring firearms or other weapons.
“Because the other guys [police] are going to have bigger guns and the courts on their side,” he said.
Convention security
Federal and local authorities are gearing up for crowds, traffic disruptions and restricted access around the American Airlines Center.
Security will increase in the days before and during the convention, Lowman said, with plans including perimeter security, access controls and metal-detector screening for convention attendees and personnel.
Drivers and pedestrians should expect disruptions around the arena and staging or dispersal areas, she said.
Businesses and residences within affected areas generally will remain accessible, though vehicles and pedestrians may be required to undergo security screening before entering.
The goal, she said, “is to provide the most secure environment while minimizing impacts and inconveniences to residents and businesses.”
Dallas police declined to disclose staffing or outside-agency support but said officers regularly train in crowd control and protest management.