Updated:
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – An anti-Trump crowd of protesters estimated at 3,000
marched peacefully through downtown Los Angeles into Westlake and back again
early this morning, assembling in Grand Park, but authorities then issued an
order to disperse and made several hundred arrests before the park was cleared,
according to Los Angeles police.
The demonstrators, in a third night of protests following Donald Trump’s
election as President, carried signs reading, “Not My President” and
“Election Outrage.” Some waved American flags. They were followed during
their hours-long, circuitous march by droves of LAPD officers in patrol cars,
jail buses and on motorcycles in preparation for any possible trouble.
California Highway Patrol officers positioned themselves at on-ramps to
the Hollywood (101) and Harbor (110) freeways to prevent protesters from
getting on the freeways, CHP Officer Stephan Brandt said.
LAPD motorcycle officers also lined up in front of the police
department’s headquarters to prevent demonstrators from entering the property.
As of midnight, the protesters, whose numbers had dwindled to less than
a thousand, moved into Grand Park, across from City Hall, according to LAPD
Officer Tony Im.
The LAPD then issued an order to disperse and began making arrests, Im
said. As of 2 a.m., police had taken at least 150 people into custody, Im
added. The charges were unknown at this point. Protesters are still in the park
at that point, he said.
The park was cleared at 2:45 a.m., according to LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado.
The final tally of arrests was 187 people, plus eight juveniles, police
reported.
Another large anti-Trump rally and march is scheduled to begin at
MacArthur Park at 10 a.m. this morning. Protesters will gather in the Westlake
park and march to the downtown federal building.
“The LAPD endeavors to facilitate a peaceful and civil First Amendment
privilege tonight,” tweeted the LAPD on Friday evening. “We aim to secure
public safety in our City of Angels.”
Friday night’s downtown L.A. protest was one of many that took place
across the country. Protesters also demonstrated in Portland, Oregon where
police made more than 20 arrests and used flash bang grenades and other less
than lethal force to clear the streets.
Demonstrations also erupted in New York City, Chicago, Denver, San
Francisco, Philadelphia, Louisville, Kentucky and Baltimore.
The LAPD updated arrest figures from Thursday night’s downtown protests,
announcing that 226 people were arrested for blocking a roadway and failure
to disperse and that 23 of those were juveniles for curfew violations, said Im.
The officer injured in an assault during Thursday’s demonstrations was
released from a hospital, Im said. The suspect was also injured and police said
he was arrested.
While most protesters on Thursday were regarded as peaceful by police,
officers gave dispersal orders to an aggressive group that refused to budge
from the area around Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street around midnight, he
said.
The protests prompted Metro to detour some buses off Spring Street.
LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman said there were reports of vandalism and
graffiti in downtown but did not specify where.
“We’re here to protect everybody’s right to free speech but not when it
impedes everyone else and not when it puts people in harm’s way,” said LAPD
Public Information Director Josh Rubenstein.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said the right to free expression is “one of our
greatest privileges as Americans,” but he said that unlawful, dangerous
behavior won’t be tolerated.
By ames Rojas, KABC Radio, and CNS with
Euan McKirdy and Susanna Capelouto CNN
11:30pm
Photo: Screengrab, NBC4
Anti-Trump Protests Shut Down Hollywood Freeway
By ELIZABETH HSING-HUEI CHOU
City News Service
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Hundreds of protesters angry over Donald J. Trump’s
election as president poured onto the northbound and southbound portions of the
Hollywood (101) Freeway today, prompting its closure.
The protesters entered the freeway at Alvarado Street around 10:20 p.m.
Police were devising a plan to move them off the freeway, according to Los
Angeles Police Department Officer Tony Im.
######################################
“They’re assessing the situation and they will create a tactical plan
and then execute that plan to ensure the safety of the citizens,” Im said.
The rally and march began about 7 p.m. outside Los Angeles City Hall,
drawing an ethnically diverse crowd of more than 5,000, many of whom who
appeared to be high school and college age.
More than 300 youthful-looking demonstrators earlier rallied outside
City Hall before marching to LAPD headquarters and then on toward Staples
Center.
Some protesters chanted “Not my president,” and at least one had a
sign that stated: “Trump Equals Death.” Other signs read “Epic Fail,”
“Rapist President” and “Artists Against Trump.”
While some of the signs and chants contained expletives, the protests
were noisy but initially peaceful, and appeared to be growing as the day wore
on.
Some motorists honked their horns when they saw the crowds. Helicopters
hovered overhead as law enforcement officers controlled traffic and watched for
signs of trouble.
One rally started about 11 a.m. as a walkout at several Los Angeles
Unified School District campuses, according to 16-year-old Gerson Macias, a
student at Ramon Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Macias said he joined the protest after seeing other students march past
their school because Trump’s policies could affect him as a Hispanic and gay
person.
“I believe this man cannot split families apart anymore, and cannot
take away our rights as LGBT people, because we have been fighting for this for
years, and this man cannot come in and just take that all away,” he said.
Alexa Orozco, 16, said she feels personally affected by this election
because she has friends and family who are “not born here.”
Because she was too young to vote, the rally was her way of expressing
her opinion on Trump, she said.
“I feel like a lot of our generation, we feel strong about certain
things and I feel like that it’s devastating to not be able to do something
like vote,” Orozco said.
“But we’re not going to let that stop us from trying to do something,
and that’s why we’re here today.”
Seeing Trump win in other states, such as Florida, was a “wake-up call
to me, realizing that I haven’t been anywhere else besides California,” Orozco
said.
Since the results were settled, she says she has been obsessed with
looking at what demographic groups voted for which candidate.
“It’s sad to see that sexism, racism, it’s all over the place,” Orozco
said. “Maybe we don’t see a lot of it here.”
Some of the protesters said they learned about the rally on Instagram,
via hashtags such as “notmypresident.”
Other protests of students and young people were held Wednesday across
the Southland, including on the campuses of UCLA, Cal State Fullerton and UC
Irvine.
At Cal State Long Beach, hundreds of students took part in a march
across campus, with some carrying signs and many loudly chanting, “Not my
president.” The CSULB student government set up a “safe space” on campus
designed to give students a place to express their feelings about the election.
Similar spaces were set up at UCLA, and an open-discussion event was
scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at DeNeve Auditorium.
University officials said the Young Progressives Demanding Action at
UCLA plans to hold a rally at 11 a.m. Thursday in Meyerhoff Park.
Substantial anti-Trump protests also took place Wednesday in New York,
Chicago, Washington and other cities.
8:41pm 11/9/16
By James Rojas, KABC Radio
Protesters burn giant Donald Trump head on front steps of LA City Hall. – James Rojas, KABC News
See the video here:
https://www.facebook.com/KABCRADIO/videos/10157701616545223/
8:30pm, 11/9/16
Protests in Los Angeles near Pershing Square. (Photos James Rojas)
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Two protests in downtown Los Angeles today over
Donald J. Trump’s election as president drew thousands of people, many of whom
who appeared to be high school and college age.
A rally and march that began about 7 p.m. outside Los Angeles City Hall
drew more an ethnically diverse crowd of more than 5,000.
Earlier today, more than 300 youthful-looking demonstrators rallied
outside City Hall before marching to Los Angeles Police Department headquarters
and then on toward Staples Center.
Some protesters chanted “Not my president,” and at least one had a
sign that stated: “Trump Equals Death.” Other signs read “Epic Fail,”
“Rapist President” and “Artists Against Trump.”
While some of the signs and chants contained expletives, the protests
were noisy but peaceful, and appeared to be growing as the day wore on.
Some motorists honked their horns when they saw the crowds. Helicopters
hovered overhead as law enforcement officers controlled traffic and watched for
signs of trouble.
One rally started about 11 a.m. as a walkout at several Los Angeles
Unified School District campuses, according to 16-year-old Gerson Macias, a
student at Ramon Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Macias said he joined the protest after seeing other students march past
their school because Trump’s policies could affect him as a Hispanic and gay
person.
“I believe this man cannot split families apart anymore, and cannot
take away our rights as LGBT people, because we have been fighting for this for
years, and this man cannot come in and just take that all away,” he said.
Alexa Orozco, 16, said she feels personally affected by this election
because she has friends and family who are “not born here.”
Because she was too young to vote, the rally was her way of expressing
her opinion on Trump, she said.
“I feel like a lot of our generation, we feel strong about certain
things and I feel like that it’s devastating to not be able to do something
like vote,” Orozco said.
“But we’re not going to let that stop us from trying to do something,
and that’s why we’re here today.”
Seeing Trump win in other states, such as Florida, was a “wake-up call
to me, realizing that I haven’t been anywhere else besides California,” Orozco
said.
Since the results were settled, she says she has been obsessed with
looking at what demographic groups voted for which candidate.
“It’s sad to see that sexism, racism, it’s all over the place,” Orozco
said. “Maybe we don’t see a lot of it here.”
Some of the protesters said they learned about the rally on Instagram,
via hashtags such as “notmypresident.”
Other protests of students and young people were held Wednesday across
the Southland, including on the campuses of UCLA, Cal State Fullerton and UC
Irvine.
At Cal State Long Beach, hundreds of students took part in a march
across campus, with some carrying signs and many loudly chanting, “Not my
president.” The CSULB student government set up a “safe space” on campus
designed to give students a place to express their feelings about the election.
Similar spaces were set up at UCLA, and an open-discussion event was
scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at DeNeve Auditorium.
University officials said the Young Progressives Demanding Action at
UCLA plans to hold a rally at 11 a.m. Thursday in Meyerhoff Park.
Substantial anti-Trump protests also took place Wednesday in New York,
Chicago and Washington.
Thousands of protesters targeted Trump buildings in New York and Chicago on Wednesday, chanting anti-Trump slogans as protests against President-elect Donald Trump popped up throughout the United States.
In Austin, Texas, protesters blocked a highway. Students burned a flag on the campus of American University in Washington, and they walked out of class in high schools and colleges across the country the day after the presidential election.
“Not my president, not today,” was a chant heard at protests from Boston to Los Angeles.
In downtown Los Angeles, high school students crowded the steps of City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Protester Brooklyn White was holding a sign that said
“Hate won’t win.” The 18 year old voted for Hillary Clinton and was disappointed.
“We can’t let it stop us. If he’s the president then fine, but if Donald Trump is gonna be it then he has to listen,” she said.
At Berkeley High School in California, about 1,500 students walked out of classes Wednesday morning. In des Moines, Iowa it was hundred of high school students who left class to protest of election results. In Phoenix, about 200 students from Carl Hayden High School marched to the state Capitol in protest.
White House candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil for Clinton supporters in front of the White House on Wednesday evening drew those who wanted to mourn the loss of the election.
The peaceful crowd called out “you are not alone” to over 2,600 people watching the gathering on Facebook, organizers said.
Earlier Wednesday, trash fires burned on an Oakland, California, highway as an illuminated sign in the nation’s capital proclaimed that the United States was “better than bigotry.”
Two opposing rallies crowded Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, while protests on the other side of the country threatened to turn ugly.
One member of the crowd near the White House held an upside-down American flag, alongside the LGBT rainbow flag, in silent protest.
Pop star Lady Gaga, a vocal Hillary Clinton supporter who had performed at the Democratic candidate’s final rally in North Carolina, stood atop a sanitation truck outside Trump Tower in New York, brandishing a sign that read: “Love trumps hate.”
Brian Barto, a protester who had remained at the White House after most dispersed, told CNN affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington that he was “destroyed, honestly distraught.”
“Everything that has been built up has been destroyed. … America has failed (minorities).”
Latasha Wilson said she was scared about the next four years. “He doesn’t respect women, Black Lives Matter, Latinos. He’s a racist. … There are multiple things that add up,” she said of the President-elect.
Supporters celebrate
Others went to the White House to show their support for Trump.
Nicholas Elliot, a student at Washington’s Georgetown University, said he was elated about Trump’s election.
“I feel pretty good, a year and a half process has ended and it ended my way,” the Texan told WJLA. He said he thought it was “definitely the responsibility of both parties” to unite the country.
Referencing the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote to leave the European Union, which “translated strongly here,” he said he had no fear his candidate would lose.
“There is a hidden vote,” he said, contending people didn’t voice their true voting intentions to pollsters in case they were perceived as sexist, racist or homophobic.
In New York, groups of Trump supporters cheered his victory outside Trump Tower.
At the University of Louisville in Kentucky, the base of a large-scale bronze cast of Rodin’s “The Thinker” was spray-painted with the message: Trump #BuildThatWall.”
West Coast protests
The West Coast saw some protests in urban areas. In California, which voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, a small group gathered in downtown Los Angeles to voice its dissent, but its numbers never threatened to swell.
In the hours following Trump’s victory speech, television footage showed dozens of demonstrators walking along an Oakland road at around 1 a.m. (4 a.m. ET).
The group had grown to about 250 people late Tuesday but decreased in the early morning, police said.
Images and footage shared on social media showed dumpster fires on what was described as a stretch of Broadway, from 14th to 20th streets in the city.
Angry voters also headed out in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle.
Several hundred protesters appeared on the streets of downtown Portland late Tuesday and into early Wednesday. There were no arrests or significant reports of vandalism except for a dumpster fire, police said.
Twitter users attempted to rally opponents of Trump in a number of cities for rallies Wednesday, including in Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles and New York.
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