Hundreds march in anti-Trump protest in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hundreds of demonstrators protesting the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States marched through Philadelphia.
It was one of a number of marches across the country Wednesday night.
Their chants of "enough is enough" could be heard from blocks away.
"We are not going to take anything lying down. This is Philadelphia. We don't take anything from anybody," Chris Price of North Philadelphia said.
Anti-Trump protesters started their march across from City Hall around 7 p.m. and walked for over two hours north on Broad Street through Temple University, west on Lehigh and down 17th and Colorado streets.
Dozens of Philadelphia police officers on bikes and patrol cars followed the crowd, putting in place rolling closures that angered motorists.
"To see the number of people who won't stand for it, it gives you a sense of security in a very turbulent time," Collen Welsh of North Philadelphia said.
Their message was one filled with anger and disappointment especially with Pennsylvania turning red this election.
Still protesters were clear, Donald Trump may have been elected, but not by them as they chanted "not my president."
Philadelphia police say there were no arrests during this protest.
Students at University of Pennsylvania also expressed their dismay with the country's pick through what they called a solidarity March. Nearly 500 people attended an open discussion on the university's campus and voiced similar concerns.
"What's done is done and Donald Trump will be the president come January, but that doesn't mean that our voices and our experiences are not valid. That does not mean that all of the hateful things that Donald Trump has said over this last election cycle have gone away," Rhea Sangh of University City said.
Philadelphia was not alone as thousands around the country took to the streets to condemn the election of Trump as president.
The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, authorities said.
In Chicago, several thousand people marched through the Loop and gathered outside Trump Tower, chanting "Not my president!"
Chicago resident Michael Burke said he believes the president-elect will "divide the country and stir up hatred." He added there was a constitutional duty not to accept that.
A similar protest in Manhattan drew about 1,000 people. Outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in midtown, police installed barricades to keep the demonstrators at bay.
In Boston, thousands of anti-Donald Trump protesters streamed through downtown, chanting "Trump's a racist" and carrying signs that said "Impeach Trump" and "Abolish Electoral College."
The protesters gathered on Boston Common before marching toward the Massachusetts Statehouse, with beefed-up security including extra police officers.
Hundreds of University of Texas students spilled out of classrooms to march through downtown Austin. They marched along streets near the Texas Capitol, then briefly blocked a crowded traffic bridge.
Marchers protesting Donald Trump's election as president chanted and carried signs in front of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Local media outlets broadcast video Wednesday night showing a peaceful crowd in front of the new downtown hotel. Many chanted "No racist USA, no trump, no KKK."
Another group stood outside the White House. They held candles, listened to speeches and sang songs.
Earlier Wednesday, protesters at American University burned U.S. flags on campus.
In Oregon, dozens of people blocked traffic in downtown Portland, burned American flags and forced a delay for trains on two light-rail lines. Earlier the protest in downtown drew several Trump supporters, who taunted the demonstrators with signs. At one point, a lone Trump supporter was chased across Pioneer Courthouse Square and hit in the back with a skateboard before others intervened.
Protests also were reported at a number of universities in California and Connecticut, while several hundred people marched in San Francisco and others gathered outside City Hall in Los Angeles.
The only major violence was reported in Oakland, California, during a protest that began shortly before midnight and lasted into early Wednesday morning.
Some demonstrators set garbage bins on fire, broke windows and sprayed graffiti at five businesses in the downtown area, police said. No arrests were made.
Another protest began Wednesday evening downtown, with several hundred chanting, sign-waving people gathering in Frank Ogawa Plaza.
In San Francisco, hundreds are marching along Market Avenue, one of the city's main avenues, to join a vigil in the Castro District, a predominantly gay neighborhood.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
