Thousands rally on 4th day of protests

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Tens of thousands of people marched in streets across the United States on Saturday, staging the fourth day of protests of Donald Trump’s surprise victory as president.

The protests – in big cities such as New York and Chicago as well as smaller ones, such as Worcester, Mass., and Iowa City, Iowa – were largely peaceful Saturday.

In Indianapolis, police said two officers were slightly injured and seven protesters were arrested after demonstrators threw rocks during a march.

Police Chief Troy Riggs told a news briefing that most of the hundreds of protesters marched peacefully in downtown Indianapolis for several hours Saturday, but a small group became more aggressive later in the evening. Police spokesman Major Richard Riddle said some of the group began threatening officers, including chants of “Kill the Police.” They began throwing rocks at officers, and police moved in and arrested them.

Rowdy anti-Trump protesters marched through downtown Portland again despite calls for calm from the mayor and police chief. Several hundred people took to the streets Saturday night, and police reported at least one arrest after people in the crowd threw items at officers in riot gear.

Protesters rallied at New York’s Union Square before taking their cause up Fifth Avenue toward Trump Tower, where they were held back by police barricades.

“I just can’t have Donald Trump running this country and teaching our children racism, sexism and bigotry,” said fashion designer Noemi Abad. “Out of his own mouth he made this division. He needs to go – there’s no place for racism in society in America.”

Trump’s comments – particularly a 2005 recording of him making lewd comments about women – sparked outrage during his campaign. That spilled over into a fourth day of demonstrations after an election that ended with half of U.S. voters choosing the other candidate, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

In Los Angeles, several thousand people marched through downtown streets Saturday to condemn what they saw as Trump’s hate speech about Muslims, pledge to deport people in the country illegally and crude comments about women.

In Ohio

About 100 people marched through downtown Toledo Saturday afternoon, while earlier in the day several hundred people came out in Cincinnati.

Many of the anti-Trump protesters in Cincinnati ended up joining with another group protesting a mistrial declared Saturday in the case against a white former police officer charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black motorist.