Thousands upon thousands of protesters stormed the streets of Midtown Manhattan on the rainy Wednesday night after Election Day, in one of dozens of rallies across the country protesting president-elect Donald Trump. “Black lives matter!” they chanted. “Not my president!” “Dump Trump!” “Donald Trump, go away! Racist, sexist, anti-gay!”
By 9 pm., hundreds of police were attempting to curb the chaos across dozens of city blocks. The NYPD reportedly barricaded off Trump Tower from the crowd, blocked off city streets and even evacuated a city bus that got stuck in the crowd.
At around 9:45 p.m., an unofficial Facebook group tracking FDNY activity posted that firemen were responding to a fire alarm at the nearby St. Regis Hotel but couldn’t get through due to the protest. “Traffic is not moving,” the post said. “Good way to prove your point!”
Protesters reported arrests of at least three journalists. Reporter E.J. Fox tweeted from his Apple Watch while he was under arrest, he said.
The NYPD would not confirm any arrests to Patch until 6 a.m., a spokesperson said.
Witnesses reported a line of garbage trucks parked in front of Trump Tower to prevent car bombs.
Various anti-Trump protesters in the crowd, most of whom appeared to be in their 20s or 30s, said they took issue with the whole political system, not just the Republican party. However, the strongest unified message Wednesday night was that the people of New York reject Trump and everything he stands for.
The massive crowd began to gather around 6 p.m. Wednesday in Union Square. Then, around 6:45 p.m., they marched uptown via Fifth Avenue toward Trump Tower, the president-elect’s most famous Manhattan property, and the one where he’s been staying as the 2016 election season wraps up.
A line of cars, Ubers, cabs and buses came to a complete standstill along Fifth Avenue, stretching from 15th Street to at least 50th Street. Many people stuck in traffic honked in solidarity with the crowd.
Dozens of police cars and officers stood guard as the crowd squeezed its way down Fifth Avenue. Bystanders on sidewalks cheered and filmed the crowd with their phones.
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