There are too many rusty, interlocking panels in Cleveland to count.
They split the length of East Ninth Street from Progressive Field to Willard Park.
“Media row,” as officials call the thoroughfare, will be teeming with 350 private coaches shuttling tens of thousands of journalists and Republicans to and from secure hotels and party proceedings.
The 8-foot barricades also cage Willard Park, resembling a fighting ring for the protesters with permits.
Metal detectors greet patrons at nearby restaurants.
Throughout the city, newly hung cameras look down on the streets.
Soon, there will be police on bicycles, motorcycles and horses.
The National Guard is in town.
This is the armed fortress of Cleveland, Ohio, where the nation’s top security people have planned for more than a year how to maintain safety for yet one more quadrennial exercise in democracy: The political convention.
It is designated as a National Special Security Event, equivalent to a presidential inauguration, state of the union address, Super Bowl game or even some NASCAR events, where the number of people and dignitaries create unique circumstances.
As a result, the Secret Service and other federal agencies take over.
But not since 1968, when anti-war demonstrators, civil rights advocates and those concerned for the impoverished clashed with police in Chicago, has there been so much concern. This year, terrorism, race and economic distress emerge in similar fashion.
Adding to the tension: Ohio allows those with conceal carry permits to carry a loaded gun, and some groups said they intend to exercise that right.
John Penley had second thoughts about stepping off a bus and onto the sidewalk in Cleveland this week.
The North Carolina man, no fan of Donald Trump and no stranger to a jail cell, has been arrested at other conventions and protests, most recently in 2012 while agitating Democrats.
But the Grand Old Party gathering this week is shaping up to be something much scarier, he said.
“I’m really afraid of the Bikers for Trump group. They’ve said they’re coming in here to back up the police,” said Penley. “They’ve given themselves the role of vigilante police backers.”
The patriotic motorcyclists will join Second Amendment advocates who promise to protect Trump supporters, defend police if necessary and counter liberal protesters, among them Penley, a veteran who opposes war.
Penley asked the city to permit separate space for Trump’s fans and foes to camp and demonstrate. The city denied Penley’s request and, less than a week before the RNC, approved overnight-only camping for all at Kirtland Park.
Penley advised fellow campers to avoid the park and instead camp outside Edgewater Park on the first night. He’ll move if police order him away. But he said he feels safer on a sidewalk than in a park with the other side.
“It’s gone from scary to insanity here,” Penley said. “If I’d have known about all of this, I wouldn’t have planned to come. I’m being honest.”
Here we go
Already, the city is in convention mode.
The streets around Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field are impassable by car and, without credentials, by foot.
Between the sporting venues is the heart of the high-security zone, where thousands of cases of beer and wine have been stuffed into makeshift bars with weathered wood paneling so natural-looking as to suggest they’ve been there for years.
That’s “Freedom Plaza,” which also is home to a white steel building housing mobile generators and air conditioners that pump cool air and electricity into the arena. Doors to the temporary facility are locked by electronic keypads.
Concern for safety is widespread.
One of two anti-RNC groups canceled its parade Sunday afternoon out of fear. Motorcyclists for Trump are concerned, and a New Black Panthers group said it plans to arrive with guns, according to the Washington Post.
As many as 10,000 plastic handcuffs have been purchased. Tags have been made to label people by the names of arresting officers.
Public officials have said that jail cells have been emptied and courts will be open until 1 a.m. in the event of mass arrests and the need for expedited judicial action.
The Post also reported that emergency room doctors were not allowed to take vacation and hospitals have stocked up on medicines and supplies.
That’s just in downtown Cleveland.
Security extends as far away as Fairlawn, Cuyahoga Falls and Twinsburg, where conventioneers from Michigan, Maine and U.S. territories are expected to stay, and Canton, where they will visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame and First Ladies National Historic Site.
Staying safe
The Cleveland2016 Host Committee web site www.2016cle.com has a “Stay Informed” page under “Plan your trip.”
On the page is the CodeRED program that allows anyone to sign up for emergency safety alerts.
The page also provides information on how to report suspicious activity.
Police B&B
Dormitory food will be on the menu for the thousands of police and military people on security detail. They’ll be housed in dormitories of university campuses as far away as the University of Akron, where there will be about 630.
Many Akron and Summit County officers and deputies will join Ohio National Guardsmen at Case Western University, where about 1,700 security people will stay.
Cleveland State University, just 10 blocks from the convention, also expects to house 500 officers.
Security firms benefit
“That’s all great for our industry,” said Peter J. Miragliotta, CEO of Cleveland-based Tenable Protective Services, Ohio’s largest private security firm.
The 30-year-old company hired 150 employees, a 50 percent staff increase, in preparation for the RNC. Each worker received up to 16 hours training, depending on previous experience. Additional staff were pulled from the company’s Akron office to cover overnight security.
Part tour guide and part security detail, Miragliotta won’t call them guards throughout the convention. They’re safety ambassadors, he said.
“It has nothing to do with whether you are Republican or Democrat,” Miragliotta said, “We took it personally that we are protecting the city.”
Tenable workers could be seen patrolling satellite trucks outside the Huntington Convention Center last week as national media streamed news live to television and radio audiences.
In the next four days, his crew, which includes off-duty officers, will guard generators, warehouses, vans, cameras and other non-public assets, as well as the most famous politicians, media personalities and business people who will be mingling with delegates at private parties.
Aircraft restrictions
Air space above Cleveland will be highly restricted beginning Sunday afternoon, much like it is all the time for Washington, D.C.
No drones will be allowed in the air above Cuyahoga County.
Burke Lakefront Airport will close Sunday to routine traffic. After 6 p.m., no private planes will be permitted to land without first having a security sweep either at the point of origin or at Akron-Canton or Youngstown airports. Many are expected to park at Akron-Canton.
Security equipment
Congress approved $50 million for each of the conventions to provide security. According to a fact book assembled by the Ohio Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (a human rights advocacy group), the $50 million was allocated this way for Cleveland:
$30 million alone for security personnel
2,000 sets of riot gear
2,000 retractable steel batons
Nearly four miles of steel barriers
2,400 hydration packs (backpacks for carrying water)
24 ballistic outfits of bulletproof helmets, armor and face protection (combat gear)
15 motorcycles
310 bikes and bicycle equipment
10,000 plastic handcuffs
Three horse trailers
16 aiming lasers and two night-vision scopes
Other precautions
Many www.2016cle.com/press-releases/security-and-traffic-restrictions">parking decks will be closed to the public, and on-street parking will be prohibited on many streets.
www.2016cle.com/press-releases/security-and-traffic-restrictions">Lake Erie and Cuyahoga River boating from east of Burke Lakefront Airport to west of Cuyahoga River is restricted. The most secure time will be Sunday evening near the museums.
Beacon Journal reporters Doug Livingston and Stephanie Warsmith will cover the convention. Questions? They can be emailed at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal and swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com