All photos by Audrey Walker and Jasper Paulson.
Delegates, members of the press and other credentialed guests wait in line for admittance to the main programming section of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), hosted at the United Center in Chicago, IL. A security perimeter surrounded the United Center and the nearby area to ensure a safe event. In addition to multiple layers of fencing, there was a large police and Secret Service presence.
Once inside the United Center, delegates sat in the lowest levels of the stadium and press sat in the higher levels. The hallways were lined with television monitors broadcasting the speakers inside the arena.
A variety of media outlets lined the arena opposite of the stage. The DNC is one of the most widely broadcasted events leading up to presidential elections.
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth delivers a keynote speech to the crowd. Duckworth, who lost her legs co-piloting a helicopter during the Iraq War and often uses a wheelchair, walked to the podium using neon prosthetic legs.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband to Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the crowd after being introduced by his son. Delegates held up red signs reading “DOUG” in support.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama delivers a speech in support of the Harris-Walz ticket and to convey her hope for the outcome of the 2024 election. Applause from the crowd stalled her message numerous times.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama embrace after Michelle introduced Barack following her speech. The crowd cheered as they displayed affection, which was broadcasted on the Jumbotron.
![When I chose to take a tour of the Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, IL, I had no idea what I was walking into. I’ve heard of multiple paranormal events happening here, but I was more interested in how a prisoner lived. I wanted to feel their hopelessness and wanted to understand what it must have been like to sit in an empty cell and yearn for sunlight.
The Old Joliet Prison is a daunting structure that appears, seemingly, out of nowhere. When driving to the prison, it isn’t until someone is a few feet away that they see the large walls and barbed wire. Just driving past it, they can feel a change in the atmosphere.
When a prisoner is being driven there, they don’t know how close they are. They are driving through a suburban neighborhood before they reach a small unassuming bridge. Yet, as soon as they go under the bridge and back into the sunlight, they finally see the prison and know that as soon as they go in, they will never come out.
“In 1878, the Prison was filled well over capacity with nearly 2,000 inmates,” according to jolietprison.org, a website that tells the history of the prison and allows for you to sign up for tours. “[There were] reports of unsanitary and dangerous conditions emerged.”
Throughout the state, people knew the allegations that staff was abusing the prisoners as well as killing them. Once a prisoner was told that they were going to Old Joliet Prison, they knew that it was a death sentence](https://kanelandkrier.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/prison1.jpg)
