Protests and debate events expected in Philadelphia Tuesday

One of the most anticipated events of the 2024 presidential election will take place in Philadelphia, and local officials say they are prepared for protests.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said Monday that the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management will be activated ahead of Tuesday’s presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to face off in their first debate at 9 p.m.

Bethel said state and federal law enforcement will facilitate the police department secure the area around the event. The area from Fifth Street to Seventh Street, Bethel said, will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians.

“Our job is to protect the safety of those attending the event as well as those outside the event and in the community,” Bethel said during a Monday news conference at the district attorney’s office.

Bethel said police will be closely monitoring the crowds.

“We will allow them to exercise their First Amendment rights throughout tomorrow night. We would just ask that the individuals involved do not engage in behavior that could escalate into criminal activity and so forth,” Bethel said. “If they did, it would change our stance to a much stronger approach.”

Here’s what we know so far about the protests ahead of Tuesday’s debate:

Pro-Palestinian rally in front of the Constitutional Center

The Philadelphia Palestinian Coalition and its allies will hold an organized demonstration outside the Constitution Center at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as Harris and Trump prepare to take the debate stage, the group said in a news release.

The coalition believes the debate and the 2024 elections “constitute a distraction from the United States’ ongoing complicity in genocide and an attempt to demobilize the growing movement for the liberation of Palestine.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken various forms across the city, dominating discussions on university campuses and at other local political events. The issue has deeply divided the Democratic Party since the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas last year.

Some mummers will welcome Donald Trump

Some Mummers may attend an event organized by Trump campaign volunteers to welcome the former president’s motorcade past the National Constitution Center, according to a flier circulating on social media.

Two Mummers clubs have endorsed the event, but organizers say attendees will be there privately, not as Mummers. One group will offer shuttles from Tankies Tavern, Brothers Two Bar and Big Charlie’s Saloon to the venue.

Attendees of the event will primarily gather at Sixth and Callowhill streets, which have been set aside by Trump volunteers so supporters can wave signs, wear MAGA clothing and “give [Trump] a welcome that only Pennsylvania can provide.” The group may also gather at other locations along the motorcade route.

U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds (R., Fla.) and Wesley Hunt (R., Texas) with a Black Conservative Federation bus tour are also expected to join the crowd, according to the events page.

Anti-abortion demonstration on Independence Mall

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Coalition will hold a demonstration on Independence Mall between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

During the demonstration, which will take place from 7 to 9 p.m., the group will present so-called “abortion victim photos.” The demonstration will focus on Harris’ position on abortion rights.

Harris supports restoring federal abortion protections. The issue was a major talking point in the 2024 presidential election, the first to take place after Roe v. Wade was repealed in June 2022.

Harris’s stance is a major motivator for Democratic voters. Although Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for the Supreme Court decision striking down federal abortion rights, He wasn’t as direct about his position in 2024..

DNC Billboards Say ‘Trump Hates Philadelphia’

The Democratic National Committee rolled out billboards in English and Spanish on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s debate, with some criticizing Project 2025, an ultra-conservative agenda that Trump has sought to distance himself from.

Others are more direct. “Trump hates Philadelphia,” reads one, saying the former president “attacked our elections, tried to suppress our voices” and “claimed ‘bad things’ happen here.” The latter references a viral moment from a 2020 presidential debate when Trump said, “Bad things are happening in Philadelphia”, while questioning the integrity of the 2020 election.

Billboards can be found in various locations on major thoroughfares in and around the city, including I-95, I-76 and I-676.

The DNC will also have kiosks on five Philadelphia-area college campuses, including Temple, Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania, calling on students to “Google Project 2025.” The committee will also distribute fliers on campuses, and an ad about reproductive rights under the Trump administration will run on a mobile billboard near college campuses.

“The stakes are high in November, and tomorrow Vice President Harris will outline her vision for a Pennsylvania and a country where no one is above the law, every vote counts, and together we chart a new path forward,” DNC spokesman Addy Toevs said in a statement.

The RNC did not respond to a request for comment on its plans ahead of the debate.

PETA’s giant mouse mascot near the Independence Visitor Center

Animal rights group PETA will place its mouse mascot near the Independence Visitor Center at the intersection of Sixth and Market streets at 7 p.m. to call on Harris and Trump to take a stand against animal testing.

The mouse, which also appeared during the June presidential debate between Trump and President Joe Biden and at the Democratic and Republican conventions, will bear a sign reading: “Save me and $22 billion: End animal experimentation at NIH!”

“PETA is calling on both candidates to redirect taxpayer dollars toward cutting-edge, human-relevant research that will provide peace to animals,” Kathy Guillermo, PETA senior vice president, said in a press release.

Staff writer Jesse Bunch contributed to this article.