Protests, vigils flare up across U.S.
Demonstrators outraged over Trump victory
• Vigils and protests flared across the U.S. Wednesday night as opponents of president-elect Donald Trump expressed dismay with the election results, underscoring the difficult task he faces in uniting a fractured country.
Despite Hillary Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama urging their backers to accept Trump’s victory Tuesday and support his transition into power, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets decrying his crude comments about women and attacks on immigrants.
Protests were reported in Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and elsewhere.
“I’m disappointed, shocked, a little panicked for my friends and family — for everything that will be unleashed, the hate that will be unleashed,” said Marion Hill, 22, who joined thousands outside of the Trump Tower in Chicago.
Rainbow flags and signs bearing messages such as “Time to Revolt” waved above the crowd, as protesters filled Michigan Avenue, cheered on by drivers who honked their support.
Most of the major demonstrations took place in urban centres in states Clinton won Tuesday — highlighting the demographic divide that shaped the election results.
The former secretary of state’s narrow victory in the popular vote spurred demonstrators in New York to chant “She got more votes!” as thousands amassed in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan. The crowd stretched several blocks.
Earlier, pro testers marched from Union Square to Trump’s building, chanting “Donald Trump, go away! Sexist, racist, anti-gay!”
At one point, demonstrators lit an American flag on fire. Later, amid a cacophony of loud chants, a glowing “Love Trumps Hate” banner was held aloft. The singer Cher mingled in the crowd, doling out hugs.
In Washington, a crowd of hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House for a candlelight vigil before marching to the new Trump International Hotel a few blocks away on Pennsylvania Avenue.
“I’m trying to not be angry and trying to find a more positive way to express my reactions,” Kate Lasso, 57, said. But for the wife of a Guatemalan immigrant who has relatives in the country without proper documentation, restraining emotion was difficult.
“They have kids,” she said. “They have been living here. What is going to happen to them?”
Hundreds also marched through Philadelphia.
The protesters in these scattered cities — some of them the same places that have seen heated demonstrations sparked by fatal police shootings in recent years — could be seen in videos streaming across social media.
Many who turned out said they were fearful Trump would follow through with his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants.
“I just felt waking up today that I was waking up to a whole new world, to a nightmare for my parents and people I care about and love,” said Tony, a 23-year-old cook who declined to give his last name as he marched in Chicago, carrying his sixyear-old daughter on his shoulders.
“There’s so much heartache It’s a bad time to be a Muslim or an illegal citizen in this country.”
The displays of anger and grief on the streets Wednesday indicated the depth of the rupture in the country — and the distrust with which many Americans view Trump.
“He’s going to lead us to a very dark place for women,” said Samantha Sylverne, a 19-year-old student, who marched in Chicago carrying a sign scrawled on a cardboard box that read, “Amerikkka elected a rapist.”