U.S.
For the third day in a row since Donald J. Trump
was elected president, thousands of people took part in protests that
bloomed across the country, venting their frustration at the election
results.
In
Miami, protesters shook signs and chanted during a demonstration on
Friday evening, blocking the causeway that connects the city’s downtown
and South Beach. In Madison, Wis., they interrupted commuters near the University of Wisconsin. Near Iowa City, they blocked traffic on a section of Interstate 80.
Demonstrators also marched in Atlanta, rushing over a bridge to block a highway. Later in the evening, a flag was set alight in front of the Georgia Capitol,
as protesters referenced Mr. Trump’s campaign slogan, chanting “America
was never great,” while accompanied by a steady drumbeat.
They protested in Tempe, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla., in Raleigh, N.C., and Olympia,
Wash. Shouts of “Not my president” and chants declaring “We don’t
accept the president-elect” rang out over Sixth Avenue in Manhattan as a
crowd began to march uptown toward Trump Tower, the home of the
president-elect. Late Friday night, the New York Police Department said
that 11 people had been arrested for disorderly conduct.
Earlier
in Washington Square Park, which is surrounded by the buildings of New
York University, a crowd alternated between chants of protest and words
of encouragement for one another. Near a bench off the center of the
park, an eerie plastic mannequin that was missing its head had been
abandoned. Pinned to its chest was a Post-it note, on which was written
“NOT MY PRESIDENT,” with a heart in the bottom right corner.
Not all of the protests were directed toward the results of the election.
A reporter in Wichita, Kan., clarified that a small protest in the city was not being called an anti-Trump protest, but instead a “call to action moving forward.”
In
many cities, hundreds of protesters gathered on the streets. But
shortly before 10 p.m. Friday, for the most part, the demonstrators had
been peaceful and orderly, mostly creating traffic snarls for commuters
and not much else.
The relative quiet in the early evening was a contrast from the night before,
when protests were more heavily attended in some places and became
chaotic in Portland, Ore. There, the police arrested more than two dozen
people and characterized the protest as a riot because of “extensive
criminal and dangerous behavior.”
Thursday’s demonstrations led Mr. Trump to Twitter, where he protested the protesters.
Just had a
very open and successful presidential election. Now professional
protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!
The next morning, the president-elect seemed to reconsider.
“Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have
passion for our great country,” he said. “We will all come together and
be proud!”
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