Hundreds of protesters gathered in Manhattan on Saturday to rally against the potential candidacy of businessman Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.
Protesters congregated steps away from the Trump International Tower in Columbus Circle, marching several blocks east to the real estate tycoon’s iconic Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
Participants held up signs that read “NYC is a no Trump Zone” and “Build a wall around Trump.”
Protesters gathered in New York City’s Columbus Circle to rally against presidential candidate Donald Trump on March 19, 2016. Photo by Elif Koc/PBS NewsHour
Several liberal groups were present at the rally, including the Cosmopolitan Antifascists, which promoted the event, Millions March NYC and the immigrant rights campaign ICE-Free NYC.
Bronx middle school teacher Maribeth Whitehouse, 52, said she attended the rally to set a positive example for her students about civic engagement. “I’m a model for these kids of what good citizens do — and this is what good citizens do,” she said.
Maribeth Whitehouse holds up signs protesting Donald Trump in New York City on March 19, 2016. Photo by Elif Koc/PBS NewsHour
Pointing at the Trump Tower behind her, she said she believed Trump separated himself from the rest of the city. “You can isolate yourself from the rest of the community when you have enough money,” she said. “You can build so high that you can’t breathe the same air as the other people.”
While the protest went on mostly without incident, a group attempted to cross through a police barricade, leading to at least two arrests, the Associated Press reported.
Earlier Saturday, protesters in Phoenix, Arizona, blocked a highway leading to a Trump rally, stopping traffic for miles.
Trump has come under criticism in recent weeks for how he has addressed incidents of violence that have occurred as his rallies.
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