Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

CLEVELAND — Of the dozens of groups who are seeking to bring thousands of demonstrators here for next week’s Republican National Convention, there is one conspicuous by its absence: the local franchise of Black Lives Matter.

The Cleveland group, whose affiliates throughout the country have been thrust into the national spotlight for a demonstration that preceded last week’s deadly ambush of five Dallas-area police officers, has elected not to participate in the formal permitting process for marches, access to downtown parks and speakers’ podiums.

Kareem Henton, an organizer for the Cleveland franchise, said the decision has nothing to do with growing national criticism of the movement for police accountability from the political right, which has asserted that the groups are fomenting violence against law enforcement. Rather Henton — whose local franchise has regularly rallied against police actions, including the 2014 shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who was holding a toy gun, by a Cleveland police officer — said the group objected to “an approval process for a constitutional right.”

“Applying for the right to protest takes away from the spirit of the protest movement,’’ Henton said.

While they would not submit to formal approval, it did not mean the group would be altogether silent during the convention.

“We remain open to conducting our own (protests),’’ Henton said. “We shall see.’’

Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said Monday that authorities were preparing for such unsanctioned actions.

“We anticipate unregistered marches and protests,’’ Ciaccia said. “These will be handled on a case-by-case basis and participants will be required to act within the confines of the law.’’

Republicans open platform hearings, as party prepares to nominate Trump

Outside the approved demonstration venues, city spokesman Daniel Williams said "other means of First Amendment expression is allowed without a permit as long as they do not block roads or cross walks.''

Recent protests involving Black Lives Matter groups in the wake of an extraordinary succession of deadly police shootings of African-American men last week in Louisiana and Minnesota have led to scores of arrests, including more than 100 Saturday in Baton Rouge where activists rallied against the police shooting of Alton Sterling. Among those detained was prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson.

DeRay Mckesson: Criticism of Black Lives Matter dishonest

Those rallies followed last Thursday's ambush of Dallas officers — an apparent retaliatory strike by a heavily armed Army reservist who sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement and sought to avenge the Louisiana and Minnesota deaths.

Some prominent members of the nation's political right have seized on the Dallas incident, prompting a wave of criticism against the activist group.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has been among the most strident, saying Monday on Fox News that Black Lives Matter “puts a target on the back of police.’’

But Henton said the Dallas shootings would not silence voices for police accountability in Cleveland and likely elsewhere.

"This (Dallas) incident resonates only for those people who don't acknowledge institutional racism,'' Henton said. "It has nothing to do with us. There is no healing taking place here.''