"Not My President" Rallies Erupt Across The Country
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - The day after Donald Trump won the presidential election, both President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State held new conferences to urge a divided America to come together and support him as the new Commander-in-Chief.
But not everyone was listening. Wednesday, anti-Trump protests erupted across the country.
From New England to heartland cities like Kansas City and along the West Coast, demonstrators bore flags and effigies of the president-elect, disrupting traffic and declaring that they refused to accept Trump's victory.
A Trump protest is being planned for Friday evening in Miami at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater. A Facebook post encourages people to bring signs to the peaceful protest. It's scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. and go until about 10 p.m.
Wednesday night flames lit up the night sky in California cities as thousands of protesters burned a giant papier-mache Trump head in Los Angeles and started fires in Oakland intersections.
Los Angeles demonstrators also beat a Trump piñata and sprayed the Los Angeles Times building and news vans with anti-Trump profanity. Late in the evening, several hundred people blocked one of the city's busiest freeways, U.S. 101 between downtown and Hollywood. More than a dozen people were arrested as officers in full riot gear walked the protesters off the freeway.
"Trump has tapped into something very dark and evil in our country and now we're all gonna pay," said one protester.
In Oakland, several thousand people gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza, police said, clogging intersections and freeway on-ramps.
In Chicago, where thousands had recently poured into the streets to celebrate the Chicago Cubs' first World Series victory in over a century, several thousand people marched through the Loop. They gathered outside Trump Tower, chanting "Not my president!"
Chicago resident Michael Burke said he believes the president-elect will "divide the country and stir up hatred." He added there was a constitutional duty not to accept that outcome.
Police said that an estimated 1,800 to 2,000 people participated in the Chicago protests. Police reported five arrests, including two for obstructing traffic, but said there were no major incidents.
A similar protest in Midtown Manhattan drew about 10,000 people. Protesters held anti-Trump signs and blocked traffic.
Outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in midtown, police installed barricades to keep the demonstrators at bay.
About 65 people were arrested near Trump tower, most for disorderly conduct.
While there were some calls for unity, they were drowned out by frustration and fury.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near Philadelphia's City Hall despite chilly, wet weather. Participants — who included both supporters of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who lost to Clinton in the primary — expressed anger at both Republicans and Democrats over the election's outcome.
In Boston, thousands of anti-Trump protesters streamed through downtown, chanting "Trump's a racist" and carrying signs that said "Impeach Trump" and "Abolish Electoral College." Clinton appears to be on pace to win the popular vote, despite losing the electoral count that decides the presidential race.
The protesters gathered on Boston Common before marching toward the Massachusetts Statehouse, with beefed-up security including extra police officers.
Hundreds also gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, and Portland, Maine.
A protest that began at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday night with about 100 people swelled at is moved into downtown St. Paul, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Protesters blocked downtown streets and traveled west on University Avenue where they shouted expletives about Trump in English and Spanish.
There were other Midwest protest marches in Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Marchers protesting Trump's election chanted and carried signs in front of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Media outlets broadcast video Wednesday night showing a peaceful crowd in front of the new downtown hotel. Many chanted "No racist USA, no Trump, no KKK."
Another group stood outside the White House. They held candles, listened to speeches and sang songs.
In Richmond, Virginia, 10 people were arrested after protesters sat in travel lanes of the Downtown Expressway and refused to leave. Earlier, hundreds had gathered near Monroe Park and blocked the streets near Virginia Commonwealth University with some marchers chanting "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA."
Dallas activists gathered by the dozens outside the city's sports arena, the American Airlines Center.
In Oregon, dozens of people blocked traffic in downtown Portland, burned American flags and forced a delay for trains on two light-rail lines.
Hundreds massed in downtown Seattle streets.
Many held anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter signs and chanted slogans, including "Misogyny has to go," and "The people united, will never be defeated."
Five people were shot and injured in an area near the protest, but police said the shootings and the demonstration were unrelated.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
