TAMPA, FL (WFLA) — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of downtown Tampa and Ybor City Thursday night expressing their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the presidential election.
More than 200 people started blocking 7th Avenue through the heart of Ybor around 8 p.m. Thursday.
Protesters had signs expressing their disapproval of President-elect Donald Trump. Signs read “not my president,” and “students against Trump.”
Demonstrators sat in the street, chanting “love trumps hate.” Then continued marching down the street chanting. They expressed anger over Trump’s policies and some claim the whole election process is in question.
“We don’t want regressive policies and we don’t want regressive people in office and that we need to examine things like the electoral college,” one protester told News Channel 8.
Police were nearby and the protests remained peaceful.
Around 100 people protested in downtown Tampa Thursday, as well. Many called for people to unite against Trump and his administration.
“The best thing to do is to band together, all minorities, LGBT people, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, everyone just try to band together and unity. And protect one each other,” said another protester.
There were no arrests and no reports of property damage.
Other protests around the country were not as peaceful. Dozens were arrested as an anti-Trump riot broke out in Portland, Oregon Thursday night.
Some 4,000 protesters surged into the downtown area late Thursday night with chants like “we reject the president-elect!”
Officers began physically pushing back against the crowd that at times threw objects at them as midnight approached, arresting several people and using flash-bang devices and types of smoke or tear gas to force people to disperse.
After several orders to leave, police said officers used “less lethal munitions,” such as pepper spray and rubber projectiles. Live video footage showed officers firing what appeared to be the non-lethal items. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hit.
Protest number continued to dwindle through the night and as the early morning hours wore on, police announced to remaining clusters of protesters to immediately disperse or be “subject to arrest and the use of riot-control agents.” Police said they made 26 arrests.
Around the country from New York to Chicago to California, in red states as well as blue, hundreds of demonstrators marched through streets, many for the third straight night though in somewhat smaller numbers.
Donald Trump responded to the protests on Twitter. “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” he wrote.
