As President-elect Donald Trump’s administration begins taking shape, thousands poured onto the streets of a divided nation again Saturday to express their frustration at the stunning election result.
(Credit: Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images)
From New York to Los Angeles, demonstrators have marched in various American cities for four nights since Trump’s unexpected victory Tuesday capped an acrimonious campaign.
Most the protests have been peaceful, but a man was shot and wounded early Saturday during a protest in Portland, Oregon. Overall, the intensity of the protests dropped off Saturday from the previous night.
New York protests
In New York, thousands of people marched two miles and gathered outside Trump Tower, the President-elect’s home in Manhattan, where they chanted and proclaimed that he was “not my president.”
“I don’t know what we can actually do to change things,” protester Allen Meisner told CNN, “but we have to keep coming and making sure his hatred and his fear and the anger that he’s stirring up and using to get elected doesn’t manifest itself in our country.”
“I think that we are getting together to support each other as a community because this is a huge loss,” Andrea Garcia said. “This election has set us back and has definitely shown the world that we are not as advanced as we claim we are.”
By 8 p.m. local time, only a few dozen protesters remained and Fifth Avenue was open for traffic. Police said a few people were arrested Saturday but that the protest was largely peaceful.
‘Thank you for the unity’
In Los Angeles, police tweeted around midday that about 8,000 people were “exercising their 1st Amendment Right. No arrests have been made.”
The Los Angeles Times reported it was the largest anti-Trump rally in the city so far.
At 2:56 p.m. (5:56 p.m. ET), police tweeted that 1,100 people were protesting.
“Thank you for the unity,” the tweet said.
In Indianapolis, two police officers were injured by protesters throwing rocks Saturday evening, according to a tweet from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department’s official account.
Three people were arrested as police tried to keep peace in downtown Indianapolis.
Protests also were staged in Chicago; Washington; Dayton, Ohio; Cincinnati; Oklahoma City; Salt Lake City; Providence, Rhode Island; and Las Vegas. Some cities that had marches on Friday night, such as Atlanta, were quiet Saturday.
Shooting in Portland
The demonstrations have been mostly peaceful but in Portland, Oregon, a man was shot early Saturday on the Morrison Bridge during a protest march.
The suspect was believed to be in a vehicle on the bridge when a confrontation unfolded with a member of the crowd, Portland police said in a statement. The suspect got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots before fleeing.
The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening, and he was treated at a hospital.
Two 18-year-old men were arrested and charged with attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon, police said. Seventeen people were arrested in Friday night’s protests, police said.
Protesters also blocked the street outside Portland City Hall on Friday. Police tried to disperse the demonstrators, but tensions remained high.
“Burning projectiles being thrown at officers,” police posted on their Twitter page Friday night.
Portland has been the site of the most violent anti-Trump demonstrations. Thursday night, a small group broke away and smashed the windows of businesses and a number of vehicles at an auto dealership.
(Credit: Nova Safo/AFP/Getty Images)
Saturday, police began tweeting photos of protesters and asking people to identify them so arrests can be made.
Man beaten in Chicago
In Chicago, police told CNN they are investigating an incident this week in which a group of people reportedly beat a man while yelling that he voted for Trump.
Cell phone video captured the man in a minor traffic accident Wednesday on Chicago’s West Side.
The 49-year-old driver, David Wilcox, told CNN affiliate WGN-TV that a car scraped the side of his vehicle as he was about to make a left turn at a busy intersection.
“I heard a lady yell something about ‘that guy is one of those Trump supporters,’ ” Wilcox told the station. “I turned and said to her, ‘That has nothing to do with this.’ ”
The situation then apparently escalated as bystanders yelled anti-Trump taunts at Wilcox. The video shows Wilcox being knocked to the pavement, repeatedly being punched and kicked as a handful of people gather around him.
Sunday protests
For Sunday, demonstrations are planned in Washington in the morning, in Central Park West in New York in the afternoon and in Oakland and San Francisco at night.
