CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson told reporters Tuesday that the city's public safety department is "on top of it" when it comes to preparations for potential protests leading up to next week's presidential inauguration.
Jackson said during a teleconference that law enforcement is monitoring intelligence and chatter as part of its preparations.
"Everyone has a First Amendment right to demonstrate," said Jackson. "What you don't have a right to, is to tear stuff up and to harm people."
He said police are working to avoid the kind of violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol last week and rocked Cleveland's downtown in May.
"They are developing a strategy, a plan to address potential things that may happen on Inauguration Day, but also I would think they are looking at some things even before then," Jackson said.
Jackson's comments came one day before Cleveland City Council's Safety Committee is scheduled to discuss the after action plan that showed police were initially overwhelmed during the May 30th protests that turned violent in the city.
