The difference in the number of police officers and protesters can be attributed to the difference in the size of the cities, but also the locations of the of the convention arenas, our crews on the ground said. The Democrats are gathered at the Wells Fargo arena, several miles from downtown Philadelphia. The arena sits on a large parking lot with two other stadiums. And the majority of the protesters are in downtown Philadelphia at city hall, which is a long way from Wells Fargo arena.
Additionally, the convention center in Philadelphia is surrounded by6 vehicle traffic since the DNC is not in a very heavy pedestrian area, as a lot of streets are blocked off around the arena.
In comparison to the RNC, Quicken Loan Arena was located in downtown Cleveland, and it was surrounded by restaurants, office buildings and bars. Also, the main protest area was just blocks from the arena, and there was a much larger police presence.
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