Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Police arrest hundreds in clashes near parade
WASHINGTON — Protesters registered their rage against the new president Friday in a chaotic confrontation with police, who used pepper spray and stun grenades in a melee just blocks from Donald Trump’s inaugural parade.
At least 217 people were arrested for rioting while a burning limousine sent clouds of black smoke into the sky during Trump’s procession.
Several spirited demonstrations unfolded peacefully at various security checkpoints near the Capitol as police helped ticketholders get through to the inaugural ceremony. Signs read, “Resist Trump Climate Justice Now,” “Let Freedom Ring” and “Free Palestine.”
But about a mile from the National Mall, police gave chase to a group of about 100 protesters who smashed the windows of downtown businesses including a Starbucks, a Bank of America and a McDonald’s as they denounced capitalism and Trump. Police in riot gear used pepper spray from large canisters and eventually cordoned off protesters at 12th and L streets in northwest Washington.
Six officers suffered minor injuries, according the city’s interim police Chief Peter Newsham.
The confrontation began an hour before Trump took the oath of office and escalated several hours later as the crowd of protesters swelled to more than 1,000, some wearing gas masks and with arms chained together inside PVC pipe. One said the demonstrators were “bringing in the cavalry.”
When some crossed police lines, taunting, “Put the pigs in the ground,” police charged with batons and pepper spray, as well as stun grenades, which are used to shock and disperse crowds. Loud booms echoed through the streets about six blocks from where Trump would soon hold his inaugural parade.
Some protesters picked up bricks and concrete from the sidewalk and hurled them at police lines. Some rolled large, metal trash cans at police.
The limousine was attacked on the perimeter of the secured zone. As Trump and his parade of celebrants moved along Pennsylvania Avenue, the vehicle was ablaze, tainting the air for blocks and sending protesters and passersby moving swiftly away.
As night fell, protesters ignited a large bonfire blocks from the White House in McPherson Square. They carried signs like “Hail to the Thief ” and hung an upside-down American flag as women in gowns and men in tuxedos passed by, presumably en route to one of the inaugural balls.
Police said protesters damaged vehicles, destroyed property and set small fires while armed with crowbars and hammers. All 217 people arrested were charged with rioting, said Newsham, noting that the group caused “significant damage” along a number of blocks.