2004 Democratic National Convention
...hcare system, education and protection of the environment. • A Strong American Community – emphasis on civil rights Venue & Security The Convention was held in Boston, the home of John Kerry, the Presidential Candidate for the 2004 presidential elections, the convention was met with a mixed reception from both the residents and businesses. Businesses lost vast amounts of money during the convention. Roads were closed restricting access to many businesses in the city and outside. Restaurants were hoping to gain business from the visiting delegates, but because of security reasons the delegates were kept to restricted venues. The losses of the City amounted in to the tens of millions of dollars, according to the Boston Globe. The security for the Convention was the major factor in the loss in business for the city. Counterterrorism measures included rigid regulation of transportation in and out of the city, many major roads were closed. There were random baggage checks on trains. Many extreme measures were also taken, such as Manhole covers were welded. Just like the Republican convention the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially declared the 2004 Democratic National Convention a National Special Security Event (NSSE), making the Secret Service the lead agency responsible for security. To increase security there was also a ‘Free Speech Zone,’ a zone where the protestors were free to say as they like, this meant that many people would go here instead of impeding delegates as they went into the conference. Protests There were many small scale street demonstr...