Cleveland Stocks Up On Riot Gear For Republican National Convention

As the July Republican National Convention looms, the city of Cleveland is preparing for any eventuality, including civil unrest. In exchange for hosting the convention, the city has received a $50 million federal security grant, and they haven’t wasted any time spending it on all kinds of goodies for their police departments. In fact, when you read the list of gear they’re trying to acquire, it sounds like they’re preparing for a siege rather than a political event.

That list includes 2000 sets of riot control suits, batons, and bags to carry it all in. Plus another 310 sets of riot gear that are designed for bicycle mounted cops (I bet you can’t imagine a cop riding a bicycle in full riot gear without laughing). Last week they ordered 300 bicycles, 15 motorcycles, 25 sets of tactical armor and two horse trailers. To top it all off, the city is going to rent 3 miles of 3.5 foot tall steel barriers, and 3,250 feet of 6.5 foot tall barriers.

Welcome to America, where a supposedly free and open electoral process must be accompanied with barricades and an army of stormtroopers.