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Cyclist arrested near DNC protest in Chicago was just a curious bystander

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CHICAGO – A 70-year-old retired emergency room doctor said he was riding his bicycle along an empty street near a Gaza war demonstration on Monday when a Department of Homeland Security officer arrested him for trespassing.

Charles Steinbruegge of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood wanted to watch the demonstrations near the United Center, where Democrats are meeting for their national convention this week.

Steinbruegge, a 20-year army veteran who considers himself a political moderate and “agnostic” about the war between Israel and Hamas, was not a protester but a curious bystander. He said he was riding his bike down a deserted street, away from an area cordoned off by police, when an officer approached him, told him he was in a restricted area – and promptly handcuffed him.

“It was a disaster. It was a fiasco. They were just idiots. They just wanted to be tough guys. They couldn't do anything else because there was nothing going on in the area,” Steinbruegge said.

More: Protests against Gaza at Democratic Party Convention in Chicago

Cyclist says he rode through an opening in the fence without knowing about the restrictions

Steinbruegge said he spent nearly 12 hours in two different “freezing cold” prisons before police released him. When he was released at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, he was still wearing his “silly” cycling shorts and cycling shoes.

According to Chicago police, a trespassing charge and a summons were still pending.

When Steinbruegge left home on Monday afternoon, he planned to cycle 20 minutes to the protest, “look around,” and then continue his usual walk along the lakeshore, which he does four to five times a week.

He said he rode through an opening in the security fence on North Washington Boulevard that reporters, photographers and pedestrians could easily pass through. He rode toward a group of officers gathered at the end of the street and was curious to see what they were doing. He said he saw no signs that the street was closed and was unaware of any orders to stay away from the area.

“It looked like that's where you were supposed to go,” Steinbruegge said of the opening in the fence. “They obviously had a passageway to get from one street to the next, so I thought that was it.”

More: Pro-Palestinian protesters from Milwaukee outside the DNC say neither Harris nor Trump deserve support

Cyclist: Police were “overzealous” when making arrest

Steinbruegge, who claimed to have no criminal record, told Department of Homeland Security officials that he was a retired Army doctor, but that did not save him from arrest.

He described the reaction as “overzealous” and “disproportionate”.

“They were just looking for people to justify their existence,” Steinbruegge said. “He could have just told me to turn around and go back. He could have even accompanied me.”

Chicago police made several arrests Monday afternoon after several dozen protesters broke away from a peaceful march and tore down parts of the security fence surrounding the United Center. Police later moved in to evacuate people from the nearby park, Park 578. Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling on Tuesday praised his officers' response during the chaotic moment.

For Steinbrügge, the whole ordeal was a “nightmare”.

“I understand that they wanted safety, but they also have to use some common sense,” he said.

Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, covering religion and faith, immigrants, refugees and more. Reach her at [email protected] or 920-323-5758.

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