By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Curfew Threatened To Escalate Clashes

Protesters filled plazas, streets, and parks across the country on Saturday, mounting a mass mobilization that called for protecting American democracy from a president whom many opponents accused of overreaching the powers of his office. The demonstrations set off in waves as the day progressed, in small towns and major cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, the heart of a surging protest movement against President Trump.

Some 2,000 events, organized under the slogan No Kings, were planned across all 50 states, animated by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, federal spending cuts, and Trump’s military parade in Washington, which coincided with his 79th birthday.

And while confrontations with the police were rare across the country for much of the day, tensions in Los Angeles mounted as an 8 p.m. The Pacific curfew threatened to escalate clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters downtown. Police have fired tear gas and swung batons on horseback to drive crowds from federal buildings. In a post on X, the L.A.P.D. said that people threw rocks, bottles, and fireworks at officers.

Many events nationwide drew large crowds with demonstrators striking patriotic themes, waving American flags, or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speakers at a rally outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., paid tribute to State Representative Melissa Hortman, the Democratic lawmaker who was assassinated overnight by a person pretending to be a police officer. Organizers called off other rallies in the state as investigators said the attacker, who remained at large, may have also planned to target the protests.

In Houston, some demonstrators handed out flowers to police officers who were securing the route of the protest. Other rallies, like in Whittier, Calif., a suburb southeast of Los Angeles, and Raleigh, N.C., took on the feel of a dance party, as demonstrators blasted lively music.

As some demonstrations began to wrap up, pockets of protesters resisted leaving. In Charlotte, N.C., police sprayed a chemical irritant at protesters attempting to move past a line of officers after the official end of the protest. Three people were arrested in a separate rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Pittsburgh, as well as eight others conducting a similar protest in a northern Atlanta neighborhood. In Chicago, a two-hour standoff between hundreds of protesters and police ended without incident. In Austin, Texas, protesters have been pepper-sprayed by the police, and in San Antonio, Texas, people confronted military officials at the Alamo.

Other demonstrations were impacted by counterprotesters. In Springfield, Ohio, where Haitian immigrants have been vilified by the administration, a man wearing a Trump T-shirt was arrested after a confrontation with protesters. And in Culpeper County, Va., a 21-year-old man was arrested and accused of intentionally driving his vehicle through a crowd of protesters leaving a demonstration. At least one person was struck by the vehicle, but no injuries were reported.

Here’s what else to know:

Military parade: No Kings organizers avoided calling for demonstrations in Washington, where the military parade was being held despite a forecast of thunderstorms.  Trump previously warned that anyone seeking to protest at the parade would be met with “very big force.”

Texas Capitol cleared: The authorities in Texas temporarily closed off the State Capitol and its grounds in Austin after what they described as a “credible threat” directed at state legislators who were expected to attend the protest. A person was taken into custody in connection with the threat, according to a law enforcement official in Texas. 

Los Angeles crackdown: In the months before the immigration raids in Los Angeles, the Trump administration and immigrant rights groups had been preparing for conflict. Then the message arrived: “ICE is here,” one father wrote. “They’re going to take us.” 

Detained by Marines: Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old Army veteran, was briefly held by U.S. Marines outside of a federal building in Los Angeles. The move was noteworthy because federal troops are rarely seen detaining U.S. civilians, even temporarily. 

 

 

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