Protest In Portland Turns Violent As Anti-Trump Demonstrations Surge Across Nation
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Another night of nationwide protests against Donald Trump's election came to a head in Portland, where thousands marched and some smashed store windows, lit firecrackers and sparked a dumpster blaze.
Some 4,000 protesters surged into the downtown area late Thursday night with chants like "we reject the president-elect!''
Officers began physically pushing back against the crowd that at times threw objects at them as midnight approached, making arrests and using flash-bang devices and types of smoke or tear gas to force people to disperse.
Police termed the protest a riot and after several orders to leave, police said officers used "less lethal munitions,'' such as pepper spray and rubber projectiles. Live video footage showed officers firing what appeared to be the non-lethal items.
Due to extensive criminal and dangerous behavior, protest is now considered a riot. Crowd has been advised.
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) November 11, 2016
Protest numbers continued to dwindle through the night and as the early morning hours wore on, police announced to remaining clusters of protesters to immediately disperse or be "subject to arrest and the use of riot-control agents.''
Police said at least two dozen arrests had been made.
Around the country from New York to Chicago to California, in red states as well as blue, hundreds of demonstrators marched through streets, many for the third straight night though in somewhat smaller numbers.
Trump himself fired back late Thursday, tweeting: "Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!''
But early Friday, he seemed to be having a change of heart. In a second tweet, Trump said: "Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!"
In Denver, protesters managed to shut down Interstate 25 near downtown Denver briefly Thursday night. Police said demonstrators made their way onto the freeway and traffic was halted in the northbound and southbound lanes for about a half-hour. Protesters also briefly shut down interstate highways in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
In San Francisco's downtown, high-spirited high school students marched through, chanting "not my president'' and holding signs urging a Donald Trump eviction. They waved rainbow banners and Mexican flags, as bystanders in the heavily Democratic city high-fived the marchers from the sidelines.
"As a white, queer person, we need unity with people of color, we need to stand up,'' said Claire Bye, a 15-year-old sophomore at Academy High School. "I'm fighting for my rights as an LGBTQ person. I'm fighting for the rights of brown people, black people, Muslim people.''
In Philadelphia, protesters near City Hall held signs bearing slogans like "Not Our President,'' "Trans Against Trump'' and "Make America Safe For All.''
About 500 people turned out at a protest in Louisville, Kentucky and in Baltimore, hundreds of people marched to the stadium where the Ravens were playing a football game.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Trump Tower in Chicago and a growing group was getting into some shoving matches with police in Oakland, California.
In New York City, about 200 demonstrators once again gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue Thursday night. They chanted angry slogans and waved banners bearing anti-Trump messages.
"You got everything straight up and down the line,'' demonstrator David Thomas said. "You got climate change, you got the Iran deal. You got gay rights, you got mass deportations. Just everything, straight up and down the line, the guy is wrong on every issue.''
Inside Trump Tower was the president-elect and his family, back home after a whirlwind trip to Washington where Trump met President Barack Obama for the first time.
"We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, then the country succeeds," the president told Trump following their meeting.
"I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel," Trump said.
First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with her successor, Melania Trump, as well.
The incoming president also met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had kept his distance during the campaign, now welcoming him to Washington.
"We are now talking about how to hit the ground running," he said.
As of Thursday, Democrat Hillary Clinton was leading Trump in votes nationwide 47.7 percent to 47.5 percent, but Trump secured victory in the Electoral College.
Meanwhile, the departing Senate minority leader said Trump's election "has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry'' and he now must lead "a time of healing.''
In a statement Friday, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid said white nationalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Islamic State extremist group are celebrating Trump's election "while innocent, law-abiding Americans are wracked with fear.''
He said that "does not feel like America.''
Reid said the fear felt by blacks, Hispanics, gay Americans and others is rational "because Donald Trump has talked openly about doing terrible things to them.''
Reid said Trump's victory doesn't absolve him of "the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans.''
He said Trump "may not possess the capacity'' to relieve those fears but must begin trying to do that immediately.
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