![\"1484943227\"](\"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/1484943227-300x200.jpg\")
International desk: Protesters made themselves heard in the nation\u2019s capital Friday, leaving a trail of damage along some city blocks and disrupting security checkpoints to President Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration, where they slowed crowds from entering onto the Mall and, in at least one spot, stopped them completely.<\/p>\n
As people poured into the city to watch Trump sworn in as the 45th president, they encountered protesters across the area throughout the day. Many of the demonstrations were nonviolent, with people holding signs that spoke to their causes and concern. One protest even took on a carnival atmosphere, with puppets, stilt walkers and a giant inflatable elephant wearing a sign that read \u201cracism.\u201d But other groups tried to disrupt the day\u2019s events by burning flags, throwing bricks and rioting en masse, leading to injuries and nearly 100 arrests by early afternoon.<\/p>\n
Six people intent on interrupting the presidential swearing-in ceremony even made it into the closest section of seats to Trump. They wore shirts that spelled out \u201cR-E-S-I-S-T\u201d and got up and started shouting \u201cWe the people!\u201d as Trump took the oath of office at noon. As authorities removed them from the area, they raised their fists and shouted \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d One woman yelled, \u201cWe\u2019re for an America for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some in the crowd responded with taunts: \u201cNa, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, good bye.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the swearing in, protesters arrived at the Franklin Square area and clashed with police. The protesters were throwing rocks, bricks and chunks of concrete and taking newspaper boxes and barriers and putting them on the streets. Meanwhile police appeared to be using a flurry of flash-bang grenades and chemical spray to hold the protesters back, pushing them block-by-block west along K Street, from 12th Street toward 14th Street.<\/p>\n
During the clash after 2 p.m., the protesters started a fire in the middle of the street using garbage bins and newspaper boxes, and some climbed trees and light poles. About 100 officers in riot gear, carrying shields, stood in a line blocking off K Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a little jarring when you\u2019re in a peaceful march with drumming and chanting and the next thing you know flash bangs are going off around you,\u201d said Daniel Hultquist, a protester from Rhode Island. \u201cPeople that throw rocks and bricks are undermining the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n
At about 2:45 p.m., a black police SUV drove through the crowd, and protesters, dressed in black, tried to block it. When the SUV sped up and pushed the protesters aside, one picked up a rock and threw it, smashing the vehicle\u2019s back window out. The SUV kept driving.<\/p>\n
Trump supporters and protesters clashed throughout the day at several locations, and it sometimes turned violent. One officer was slightly injured when he was struck by an object thrown during a protest along the K Street corridor, said Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Authorities said two other officers were injured, one by pepper spray and another falling off a bicycle.<\/p>\n
D.C. Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers have arrested more than 90 people in connection with protests that turned violent on Friday and caused \u201csignificant damage to a number of blocks in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said a \u201ca very small percentage\u201d of the thousands who came to demonstrate the inauguration resorted to violence. Newsham said demonstrators threw rocks and overturned trash cans, and broke windows at a bank, several shops including a Starbucks and an Au Bon Pain, and shattered car windows. Police said those arrested were charged with rioting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that it had to happen,\u201d Newsham said, praising how officers responded. \u201cWe knew this was going to be a long day. .\u2009.\u2009. Anyone who thinks they can come here and break the law, we will take them into custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was just before 10:30 a.m. when a large group of black-clad protesters \u2014 self-described as anti-capitalist and antifascist \u2014 made their way south on 13th Street near K Street, throwing newspaper boxes and garbage cans into the street and trying to set them on fire, leaving them smoldering. They also broke glass at bus stops and businesses and smashed the windows of a limousine. Loud bangs sounded out from fireworks they lit.<\/p>\n
Some carried signs, including one that read: \u201cNo peaceful transition.\u201d Police cleaned up behind them as they marched, and authorities used chemical spray in an attempt to disrupt the vandalism. They ultimately herded the group away from the inauguration parade route with a large number of police vehicles and officers in riot gear, and they used concussion grenades \u2014 which make a loud noise \u2014 to break up the crowd.<\/p>\n
At least one bystander, a middle-aged man, was injured when the grenades went off; he was hit in the head, which was cut and bleeding.<\/p>\n
Another man, Robert Hrifko, 62, who rode his Harley Davidson motorcycle up from St. Augustine, Fla., to join the Bikers for Trump group, approached several firemen and asked: \u201cDo you think I need stitches?\u201d<\/p>\n
A welt on his cheekbone dribbled blood. He said a man hit him with rock after he tackled a protester who was attempting to throw an aluminum chair at a police officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBam \u2014 just waylaid me,\u201d he said. The firemen offered him a Band-Aid and said he would be all right. \u201cGood, I ain\u2019t got insurance anymore, because I can\u2019t afford Obamacare.\u201d<\/p>\n
Protesters jammed city streets and also aimed to jam checkpoints to the inauguration, at times successfully.<\/p>\n
\u201cShut it down!\u201d protesters shouted at the checkpoint at John Marshall Park early Friday morning. There, five black men stood at the front of the crowd, chained together, blocking the path.<\/p>\n
Hailing from different parts of the country, the men were protesting on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement. As they stood together, they shouted that by demonstrating, \u201call we have to lose is our chains.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/www.observerbd.com\/2017\/01\/21\/1484943323.jpg\" "\\"Trump's")
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Police began redirecting people to other entrances at about 8:30 a.m. As protesters there shouted, \u201cThis is what democracy looks like,\u201d a Trump supporter countered. He pointed to the other side of the fence and said, \u201cThis is what democracy looks like, but I can\u2019t get to it because of you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Henning came from Dalton, Ohio, to see the events on the Mall and expressed frustration with how police handled the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe drove 20 hours, and now we can\u2019t get in,\u201d Henning said. \u201cEveryone should have just brought guns and had it out, I\u2019d be happy if they just dropped a bomb on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
One protester was arrested after sprinting up 13th Street and taunting a small group of officers chasing him. As he passed a D.C. fire station, cheers could be heard behind the glass of the garage doors: \u201cGet him! Get him!\u201d When a young man in a hoodie \u2014 apparently an undercover police officer \u2014 bolted from the side and brought the protester down on the sidewalk with a flying tackle, a cheer arose from inside the station.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not resisting, I\u2019m not resisting,\u201d the protester said from beneath a pile of three officers. \u201cHow are you all doing today?\u201d he said, just before being helped to his feet, his hand in restraints.<\/p>\n
It is unclear how many protesters descended on the nation\u2019s capital for the inauguration, but law enforcement officials were bracing for more than 60 demonstration groups, both in support of and against Trump. About two dozen groups have received permits for specific gathering spaces for Friday and Saturday, when the Women\u2019s March will take over the streets. According to their permit requests, some of those groups Friday were anticipating as few as 20 participants; others were planning for tens of thousands.
\nAnti-Trump protesters march in downtown Washington<\/p>\n
In the days leading up to the inauguration, protests started with one group shutting down K Street in downtown Washington and gay rights advocates holding a dance party near the temporary home of Vice President-elect Mike Pence in Chevy Chase, complete with biodegradable glitter and the hashtags #WeAreQueer #WeAreHere #WeWillDance.<\/p>\n
Thursday night, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the National Press Club in downtown Washington, where the \u201cDeploraBall\u201d was being held. They shouted obscenities and insults such as \u201cracist\u201d and Nazi\u201d at those attending the celebratory ball on the eve of Trump\u2019s inauguration, and at one point someone threw an object that hit a counter protester in the head. Officers directed chemical spray at the crowd multiple times after protesters began throwing trash at Trump supporters who were leaving the building.<\/p>\n
Many protesters participated in nonviolent demonstrations Friday. One man brought three llamas named Shay, Tragically Cute, and Thaddeus from a farm in Lancaster, Pa. Other groups protested silently, letting their signs speak for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted my voice to be heard,\u201d said Sharae Cloak, who stood quietly with two friends. \u201cIt\u2019s a sad day in America, in the world. I didn\u2019t want to be one of those people who complains and sits at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
But at least one organization had vowed to try to shut down the city. Organized under activist collective Disrupt J20, that group arranged to have different organizations gather at each of the dozen checkpoints that inauguration ticket holders had to pass through to view the ceremony. Each aimed to speak to a different cause, organized under names that include: Future is Feminist, Movement for Black Lives, Standing Rock for Native Lives, Economic Justice and Communities under Attack.<\/p>\n
At one checkpoint, a group of LBGT protesters held a banner that read: \u201cOut of the Closet. Into the Streets\u201d and danced along to Abba and Madonna. They blew whistles and horns and filled the wet pavement with blue and purple glitter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here as a celebration of all the rights we have achieved as a movement and to stand up for ourselves,\u201d said Mike Mcvicker-Weaver, 40, an HIV health care worker from Baltimore.<\/p>\n
At a checkpoint near 10th and E streets, a group of women early in the morning tied themselves together with purple yarn and sat down, blocking people from passing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, hey, ho, ho! Donald Trump has to go!\u201d the group of about 100 mostly young protesters said. \u201cEnd white supremacy!\u201d<\/p>\n
Clashes broke out at the location throughout the morning, and the line appeared at a standstill less than an hour before Trump was expected to take the oath of office.<\/p>\n
Disrupt J20 describes its plans online as \u201ca series of massive direct actions that will shut down the Inauguration ceremonies and any related celebrations \u2014 the Inaugural parade, the Inaugural balls, you name it. We\u2019re also planning to paralyze the city itself, using blockades and marches to stop traffic and even public transit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group, which expected more than 30,000 participants, planned to gather in the afternoon at McPherson Square, where a stage and sound system would feature a series of speakers, including activist Michael Moore.<\/p>\n
Not all of the demonstrations on Friday were anti-Trump. Among those groups that requested permits for space were two organizations that support him: Bikers for Trump and Let America Hear Us, Roar for Trump.<\/p>\n
The latter shared Dupont Circle with a group that did not request a permit but set up there early Friday \u2014 DCMJ, which was formerly known as the D.C. Cannabis Campaign and was behind the successful effort to legalize marijuana in the District in 2015.<\/p>\n
The group, which started rolling joints this month, plans to hand out 4,200 before marching to the Mall. Once there, those who get through the security checkpoints \u2014 a problem because it is illegal to possess marijuana on federal land, which includes the Mall \u2014 plan to light up four minutes and 20 seconds into Trump\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n
A 40-year-old pot grower named Josh stood near Dupont Circle Friday morning, controlling the line, which stretched up Massachusetts Avenue. He said he had donated a half-pound of his own weed for the giveaway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d appreciate it if you don\u2019t do any illegal here,\u201d Josh told the crowd. \u201cIf you want to do something illegal, take it down the block.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikolas Schiller, co-founder of DCMJ, said the demonstration is not a protest of Trump but a signal of wanting to work with him on fully legalizing cannabis in all 50 states and the District.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about demonstrating to Trump that he has the power to change the law and do what Obama was not able to do,\u201d Schiller said. \u201cWe believe cannabis legalization will create jobs, it will increase tax revenue, and it will also help fix the broken criminal justice\u201d system.<\/p>\n
As for the bikers they will be sharing space with Friday, he said, \u201cWe hope some come on over and get a free joint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another organization, the ANSWER Coalition, planned to host a large gathering at the U.S. Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/p>\n
Ben Becker of ANSWER said that more than 45,000 people indicated through social media an interest in joining the group\u2019s protest near the U.S. Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue. The group, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, had a 28-foot stage and large sound system set up there and plans to showcase speakers and performers throughout the morning and afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re considering it the counterinauguration,\u201d Becker, 33, said. \u201cThe main message is that there is going to be a grass-roots movement of resistance to the Trump agenda from Day One of his presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group had thousands of signs ready to hand out. Among them: \u201cSay no to racism,\u201d \u201cStop the Trump Agenda\u201d and \u201cInaugurate the Resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becker said his hope for the day, regardless of how many people show up, is that they leave feeling confident in their ability to stand up, fight back and organize.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a one-day event,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re calling it Day One of a larger resistance movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
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International desk: Protesters made themselves heard in the nation\u2019s capital Friday, leaving a trail of damage along some city blocks and disrupting security checkpoints to President Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration, where they slowed crowds from entering onto the Mall and, in at least one spot, stopped them completely. As people poured into the city to watch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n