US Elections 2020: Protect the Vote protests held across country
Anti-Trump protesters clash with NYPD in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village as National Guard is activated in Portland and LAPD declares ‘tactical alert’ for second night in a row – as election result hangs in the balance
- Election protests erupted across the country on Wednesday after Trump falsely claimed victory and called for voting to stop amid a cliffhanger presidential race
- In New York City, demonstrators marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue as they called for every vote to be counted
- The rallies took a violent turn as night fell after protesters’ rallying cries devolved into anti-police rhetoric and some groups began setting fires and hurling garbage in the streets
- More than 20 people were arrested for ‘hijacking’ the peaceful protests, police said on Wednesday
- Similar ‘Protect the Results’ rallies unfolded in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Michigan and Washington
- Meanwhile in Portland, authorities declared a riot in the city after protesters were seen smashing windows at businesses during a demonstration against Trump’s court challenges to stop the vote count
Election protests descended into chaos in New York City on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets to demand every vote be counted after President Trump falsely claimed victory amid a cliffhanger presidential race.
Crowds of activists mobilized on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue as part of several ‘Protect the Results’ demonstrations that kicked off in cities across the country including Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, Detroit and Los Angeles.
It came after city and state officials had braced for potential unrest ahead of Election Day, with local businesses boarding up their property amid fears of violence and riots that could be spurred by a potential Trump victory.
Those concerns however, did not materialize on Tuesday which only saw scattered protests stretching from Washington, DC, to Seattle, but no widespread unrest or significant violence.
But fears were heightened again on Wednesday when President Trump threatened to challenge the election results in the Supreme Court and called for voting to stop.
The president’s remarks were the sort of call that protest organizers had planned for as the Protect the Results coalition of over 130 groups, from Planned Parenthood to Republicans for the Rule of Law, had said it had about 500 protests organized around the country.
Meanwhile in Michigan, a battleground state that will help determine who wins the presidency, counter-protests unfolded after dozens of Trump supporters descended on a ballot-tallying center in Detroit calling on officials to stop the counting of votes.
Other protests – sometimes about the election, sometimes about racial inequality – took place in at least a half-dozen cities, including Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and San Diego.
NEW YORK CITY
Protesters on Wednesday kicked off a day of demonstrations by marching down Manhattan’s iconic thoroughfare while chanting ‘count every vote’ and ‘every vote counts’.
Other groups also convened for rallies in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village where police officers in riot gear were out in force.
The peaceful protests however took a violent turn by nightfall, after rallying cries in support of democracy devolved into anti-police rhetoric and members of other groups began setting fires on the streets.
In the West Village, officers clashed with activists as they moved on crowds during a rally on Leroy Street and Seventh Avenue.
NEW YORK CITY: Police officers arrest a protester as he marched through the East Village during an Election Day demonstration on Wednesday
NEW YORK CITY: Peaceful protests had descended into chaos by nightfall, when police began moving on crowds and carrying out several arrests
NEW YORK CITY: Election protesters and activists rallied on the streets as police officers were out in force
NEW YORK CITY: Calls for a fair vote count later turned into anti-police rhetoric as some protesters began setting fires, police said. Pictured: A demonstrator wears a police uniform while wearing a pig mask
NEW YORK CITY: Clashes broke out between protesters and cops, prompting at least four arrests on Wednesday evening
New York Police officers had kept watch over demonstrators in the West Village before taking action against rowdy crowds
Protesters, police clash in New York City’s Greenwich Village amid demonstrations over presidential election; local media reports multiple arrests pic.twitter.com/ameE4wLL6V
— Factal News (@factal) November 5, 2020
NEW YORK CITY: Footage shared on social media showed cops monitoring rallies in the city before employing crowd-control tactics
Footage shared on social media showed one woman spitting at a cop, prompting another skirmish between activists and police.
Officers were also seen employing heavy-handed crowd control tactics including kettling, by closing in on large groups before carrying out several arrests.
More than 20 people who had disrupted the rally had been arrested by late Wednesday, according to the NYPD.
‘We appreciate and value the importance of freedom of speech. Our top priority is and always will be safety,’ the department said in a statement.
‘We have arrested more than 20 individuals who attempted to hijack a peaceful protest by lighting fires, throwing garbage and eggs in Manhattan.’
Authorities did not specify whether the fires had been lit by protesters and not all participants involved in Wednesday’s rallies were part of the Protect the Results coalition.
A young woman was arrested after she spat in an officer’s face after screaming, “F–k you, fascist,” tonight in the West Village. pic.twitter.com/cfgVLYJ5pc
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) November 5, 2020
NEW YORK CITY: 4: Police arrest election protesters following a rally in Union Square
NEW YORK CITY: More than 20 people were arrested for ‘hijacking’ peaceful protest as of late Wednesday, according to the NYPD
NEW YORK CITY: NYPD began moving on crowds after generally peaceful rallies turned into chaos after some participants began setting fires on the street
NEW YORK CITY: A pile of garbage was set ablaze by unruly members of the crowd
NEW YORK CITY: Several protesters were arrested in the West Village after demonstrations spiraled out of control
NEW YORK CITY: A man is seeing being taken away by officers in handcuffs late Wednesday
NEW YORK CITY: Crowds of protesters began mobilizing in Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue late Wednesday afternoon as part of several ‘Protect the Results’ demonstrations that kicked off in cities across the country
NEW YORK CITY: Protesters rally and march form the New York Public Library down Fifth Avenue to protect the results of the US Presidential Election and to continue the count of ballots
NEW YORK CITY: Protesters rally and march from the New York Public Library down Fifth Avenue to protect the results of the US Presidential Election and to continue the count of ballots on November 4
A second group from the ‘Everybody Out’ movement were among those who gathered at Washington Square Park amid the chaos on Wednesday.
According to social media posts, the organization had planned a protest against either administration and vowed to rally every week until inauguration day.
‘No matter what goes down on Election Day, we will gather this Wednesday and every Weds until January 20 until the fall of the regime,’ the group’s event flyer read.
One participant also said cops had been just as rough with some peaceful protesters adding that he was hit in the head with a baton during a confrontation that broke out on Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street.
‘This is the first time the cops have been as aggressive as they were,’ Charles Michie, 23, told the Wall Street Journal. ‘Several times tonight they just started to swarm and started to use violent force.’
PORTLAND/SEATTLE
The post-election mayhem extended to west coast in Seattle and Portland which has already been roiled by five months of near-nightly racial injustice protests since the police killing of George Floyd.
On Wednesday, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office declared a riot around 7pm after protesters were seen smashing windows at businesses during a demonstration against Trump’s court challenges to stop the vote count in battleground states.
At least eight arrests were made in Downtown Portland, authorities confirmed.
In the interest of public safety, Gov. Kate Brown activated the use of the state National Guard to help local law enforcement manage the unrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
PORTLAND: Protests erupted in Portland which has already been roiled by five months of near-nightly racial injustice protests since the police killing of George Floyd. Pictured: A protester lights an American flag on fire during a demonstration Wednesday
PORTLAND: Oregon Governor Kate Brown activated the use of the state National Guard to help local law enforcement (pictured) manage the unrest
PORTLAND: Demonstrators marched down the street as they held signs in support of a full count and BLM
PORTLAND: Authorities declared a riot on Wednesday after protesters were seen smashing windows at businesses. Pictured: A woman walks over broken glass and past a shattered store window
PORTLAND: Hundreds of people marched in the streets of Portland during a protest one day after election which remains undecided
Brown said previously she would keep state troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers under a unified command into Friday in Portland to handle protests amid uncertainty over the winner of the presidential election.
The Oregon National Guard had been on standby. Brown’s order places law enforcement agencies under the joint command of the Oregon State Police and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, which allows those agencies to use tear gas if necessary to quell unrest.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who is also police commissioner, banned the use of tear gas by Portland police earlier this fall after concerns about an overly aggressive response to the unrest.
Demonstrators on Wednesday held signs saying, ‘Count Every Vote,’ and ‘Keeping Hope Alive.’
PORTLAND: A man carries a gun as he walks during a march in support of vote counting in the still-undecided presidential contest
SEATTLE: Protesters from the Party for Socialism and Liberalism hold signs reading ‘stop Trump’s racist voter suppression’ during a demonstration on Wednesday
Protesters rally about the election Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Suzanne Thornton, 79, said she was motivated to attend a protest for the first time because of Trump’s court challenges.
‘Our president seems to be making such a big deal about it and we need to clarify what the vote count is for. He doesn´t seem to get it,’ Thornton said.
‘I don’t have a lot of patience with him because he is such a baby and I don´t see how so many people in this country see him as a leader.’
Protesters in Seattle said they are also trying to make sure the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice causes remain in the spotlight. Some carried signs saying, ‘Stop Trump’s Racist Voter Suppression,’ ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and ‘Don’t Steal the Election.’
LOS ANGELES
In Los Angeles, the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly at a demonstration in the area of 5th and Hill Street due to a ‘large and unruly crowd.’ Police ordered everyone to leave the area after closing it off to the public.
It came hours after the department declared its second tactical alert in two days as they prepared for a wave of ‘Count Every Vote’ marches in the city.
The call requires all officers to go on duty to ‘ensure sufficient resources to address any incidents that may arise as a result of Election Day activities,’ the department said.
LOS ANGELES: A heavy police presence was seen in Downtown LA as votes continue to be counted across the country
LOS ANGELES: Demonstrators gathered to demand every vote be counted as the election result hangs in the balance
LOS ANGELES: Protesters hold up a banner reading ‘We are ungovernable’ as they marched through the streets of LA on Wednesday
DETROIT
Meanwhile in Michigan, while anti-Trump protesters across the country rallied for a complete count, dozens supporters of the president descended on a ballot-tallying center in Detroit chanting ‘Stop the count!’
It comes after Trump declared himself winner and vowed to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in on the inconclusive election.
Earlier, the Republican campaign followed suit and urged officials to stop the count, demanding Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state allow in more inspectors after Biden was projected to be the winner in the state.
DETROIT: Protesters from both sides of the political divide vented their anger and frustration over the undecided presidential contest. Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden neared the magic number of 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House with several battleground states still in play, as incumbent President Donald Trump challenged the vote count
DETROIT: Pro-President Donald Trump and pro-Joe Biden protesters argue outside the TCF Center as ballots continue to be counted in Michigan
DETROIT: Police blocked off traffic at the entrance to the central counting board where ballots in the general election are counted in the city at the TCF Center
The confrontation in Detroit started shortly before The Associated Press declared that former Vice President Joe Biden had won Michigan.
Video shot by local media showed angry people gathered outside the TCF Center and inside the lobby, with police officers lined up to keep them from entering the vote-counting area. They chanted, ‘Stop the count!’ and ‘Stop the vote!’
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, insisted both parties and the public had been given access to the tallying ‘using a robust system of checks and balances to ensure that all ballots are counted fairly and accurately.’
Michigan has been on edge for months over fears of political violence. Anti-government protesters openly carried guns into the state Capitol during protests over coronavirus restrictions in the spring, and six men were arrested last month on charges of plotting to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
CHICAGO
In Chicago, protesters demanding a complete count marched through downtown and along a street across the river from Trump Tower.
A crowd of about 100 people marched through the city’s Loop north on Michigan Avenue while toting a banner reading ‘count every vote’.
Demonstrators were met with a heavy police presence however the march remained largely peaceful.
CHICAGO: In Chicago, protesters demanding a complete count marched through downtown and along a street across the river from Trump Tower
CHICAGO: Demonstrator Brittany Bysina holds a sign as demonstrators march through the Loop
PHILADELPHIA
Similar scenes unfolded in Philadelphia, where crowds marched past Independence Hall as they called for a fair count in the still-undecided contest.
