(WXYZ) — The Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday in Chicago where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to formally accept the Democratic nomination for president.
President Joe Biden is expected to give the first major speech at the convention with Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz making speeches later in the week.
Democrats were welcomed into the city by thousands of protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza. More than 50,000 people were expected to be a part of demonstrations this week including people from metro Detroit with the Abandon Biden campaign.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Biden faces protests from Arab American group during Detroit visit
The Abandon Biden movement began back in October after Israel launched a strike on Gaza following the Oct. 7th Hamas attack. The members of the Abandon Biden movement demanded President Biden call for a cease-fire to stop the bloodshed of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
The group is now committing to abandoning Kamala Harris the same way in the November Presidential election.
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"We believe Kamala Harris is complicit in everything that has been going on," said Hudhayfah Ahmad who is a spokesperson for the movement. "I’m pretty sure that there is going to be a lot of emotion today and it’s just strange that there’s all these voices crying out for a very specific issue and instead of listening and following through, the campaign has just decided let’s barricade the convention."
Ahmad says he has seen a heavy police presence throughout the convention area with officers traveling in groups.
"Our hopes are very low in the Democratic Party. We don’t believe the Democratic Party is taking this seriously and I genuinely believe that they think they can ignore this completely and still win due to the new energy that surrounds Harris/Walz," said Ahmad. "And so we don’t hope to get anything out of the Democratic Party but we’re hoping more people are able to open their eyes, open their ears, open their hearts towards the reality that exists today which is that this administration isn’t anything new. It’s actually a continuation of the Biden-Harris administration."
Ahmad says if Democrats do not present practical policy changes to end the war and divest from Israel, the group's members will not vote for Democrats in November.
PREVIOUS REPORT: 'Abandon Biden' protesters speak ahead of the president's Detroit visit
The group is now telling other voters they have other options at the polls, platforming third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Cornel West.
"We are actually telling voters that they should not sit at home, that voting is a tool, a voice that they have and it should be used but not to be deterred by the fact that they don’t like either candidate. Just because you don’t like the Democrats or the Republicans doesn’t mean that you also don’t get to vote," said Ahmad.
President Joe Biden is expected to give the first major speech Monday at the convention rallying support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Harris and Walz are expected to make speeches on Wednesday and Thursday.
