Thousands of protesters who came together in New York and Arizona on Saturday (Mar. 19) peacefully, were met with arrests and conflicts with supporters of presidential Rebublican candidate, Donald Trump.
BuzzFeed News reports demonstrations in Arizona began on the city’s roadways when protestors blocked the Shea Boulevard in Maricopa County leading to Fountain Hills, where Trump was expected to speak at a rally. Maricopa County police claimed protestors weren’t reprimanded for voicing their opinions, but for creating a safety hazard. “This is causing huge issues for us,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joaquin Enriquez said. “We obviously have to get this road open.”
BREAKING NEWS: Right now, protesters have shut down a highway heading to a @realDonaldTrump event in Arizona.https://t.co/pyWqFfCqFL
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 19, 2016
Three people were arrested on suspicion of blocking the highway and two cars were towed. One young man who tied himself to his car with a cable were one of those arrested.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yw6WnTPoLRY
Before Trump’s rally took place Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a proud Trump supporter, defended the political candidate and his controversial rallies in an interview with CNN.
“We’ll do everything possible to make sure we have free speech in this country. Donald Trump has a right to speak out and the people have a right to go in there and hear him speak,” Arpaio said. “If certain groups don’t like it, that’s OK. They have freedom of speech, but they’re not going to violate any laws. They’re going to have to pay the consequences.”
Meanwhile in New York City, anti-fascist group Cosmopolitan AFA, launched the #CrushTrump protest in Columbus Circle, near Trump Tower.
They have arrived at Trump Tower pic.twitter.com/yiTXJB9ieu
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) March 19, 2016
A total number of protestors has not been released to the public, but the large groups traveled throughout midtown Manhattan to call out Trump’s comments on immigration and racist comments made towards Muslims and other people of color.
A video posted by Hate Is Blocked (@queer.and.proud) on
Writer and political organizer Keegan Stephan, tells VIBE via email that the atmosphere on the New York streets was fairly positive after many were surprised to see others who opposed the political candidate.
“I would actually describe it as generally pretty celebratory,” he said. “I think people have been frustrated with everything they have seen coming out of Trump’s campaign and they wanted a way to voice their anger and frustration. At the rally, I think people were excited, and excited to find so many other people who adamantly oppose Trump’s overt racism and fascism. They came together and jubilantly expressed their opposition to Trump and everything he stands for.”
Stephan says there were a handful of Trump supporters present who left shortly before the march started, but there were supporters of Democratic candidates present. “I think people who oppose Donald Trump run the political gamut, except extremely far right fascists,” he explained. “There were standards liberals there today, Bernie supporters, and far more radical anti-Statists.”
Two people were arrested at the march, including a journalist from the Huffington Post.
https://twitter.com/KeeganNYC/status/711253777966305281
Protestors were reportedly pushed into barricades by the NYPD and divided resulting groups breaking off into other areas of the city.
#DumpTrump protesters pepper sprayed by #NYPD as march heads towards #TrumpTower pic.twitter.com/SqtdJZbAk6
— greg jeske (@gregjeske) March 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/ChuckModi1/status/711226810873290753
Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” was mocked on posters and boards made by protestors. For Stephan, the slogan is more problematic than promising. “I think this is a misnomer,” he said. “America was built on colonization and slavery, we never paid reparations for those original sins, and we still have segregation and Jim Crow through unequal access to housing and mass incarceration. We have a long way to go forward, not backward, to make America great.”