The Democratic National Convention is just weeks away from returning to Chicago, Illinois, the same city where bloody riots birthed from friction between police and anti-war protesters left a lasting stain on the 1968 event.

"The police response was so violent and it was so heavy-handed," said Kevin Boyle, American History professor at Northwestern University.

"Protesters were treated as protesters, which meant they could be attacked," said Judy Gumbo, original member of the Yippie movement.

Gumbo says she'll never forget the horrific way she and other demonstrators were treated by Chicago cops during the 1968 DNC. "We could be taken into custody, we could be beaten, it didn't matter."

With the Israel-Hamas conflict still ongoing and demonstrators calling for the Biden administration to take action, concerns are mounting that melee may once again mar the DNC in Chicago.

"These are both going to be conventions held when people feel as if the Democratic Party is supporting a war that they don't support," said Boyle. "I just hope and pray that the response will be much more respectful and far, far less violent than it was."

Police and protesters alike are preparing for the big, 4-day affair that's expected to draw an estimated 50,000 visitors to the 'Windy City'.

As officers undergo special training and develop strategies to maintain order, over 50 organizations are planning to protest.

The city of Chicago has denied permits for any demonstrations near the United Center, the site where the convention is being held, but activists say that won't stop them from making certain their voices are heard.

"We want Joe Biden to hear us, but the city has decided that we don't deserve to be heard," said Liz Rathburn, a pro-Palestinian activist with the Students for a Democratic Society. "The city has decided that we should be four miles away from the convention on a tree-lined street next to the lake. That is unacceptable. We are not going to be over there. We are going to be within sight and sound of the DNC perimeter."

The nation's second-largest police force says safety is the top priority during the convention and both arrests and use of force will only be used as "last resort."

(Production: Eric Cox)