One Ugly Summer: Is Latest Trump Rally Violence Just Taste of What's to Come?
Rancor, riot police, anger, and arrests. Will 2016 be the year political events become violent by design?
One ugly summer.
If events in California outside a Donald Trump rally on Thursday night are any indication, the months ahead are likely to inspire more acrimony than political inspiration as billionaire media personality Donald Trump emerges as the Republican Party's presidential nominee.
While holding an event at the Orange County Fair grounds in the city of Costa Mesa, approximately twenty people were arrested after anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with the candidate's supporters and police were confronted with a hostile crowd who vowed to challenge the noxious views of Trump's campaign.
As the Guardian reports:
Outside the venue, a crowd of largely Latino but also white and African American demonstrators shouted and chanted slogans before the event, then returned as it drew to a close.
Hundreds of people formed human barricades on an approach road to a nearby freeway, blocked the Fairgrounds exits, and waved banners that said "Build a Wall Around Trump" and "Dump the Trump".
Police appeared to be caught out by the protesters and had to call in reinforcements to separate them from the Trump supporters flooding into a large parking lot after the rally.
"Whose streets? Our streets!" the demonstrators chanted as hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, ordered them to disperse. While most remained peaceful and waved immigrants' rights banners, several of them jumped on a police patrol car parked at one corner of the Fairgrounds, smashed its windows and attempted to tip it over.
"I'm protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest," one demonstrator, 19-year-old Daniel Lujan, told the Los Angeles Times. "I knew this was going to happen," he added. "It was going to be a riot. He deserves what he gets."
Reporters and witnesses tweeted images and video from the scene:
Though local law enforcement had invited neighboring agencies to assist them and established an emergency operations center to monitor and control the crowds, the Times reports, "it was apparent to some that the sizable police presence was wrestling with a larger crowd than expected."
Megan Iyall, an out-of-towner who attended the rally, told the newspaper, "It definitely got out of control. I shouldn't feel this unsafe."
Though nothing is certain yet, each passing primary contest shows Trump closing in on securing his party's nomination. As a Trump nomination has steadily evolved from vague possibility to reality, numerous critics have warned about the sinister fascist undertones (as well as the overt xenophobia, nationalism, sexism, and racism) of his personality and those who support him.
For his part, the candidate appeared pleased with the evening, tweeting:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
One ugly summer.
If events in California outside a Donald Trump rally on Thursday night are any indication, the months ahead are likely to inspire more acrimony than political inspiration as billionaire media personality Donald Trump emerges as the Republican Party's presidential nominee.
While holding an event at the Orange County Fair grounds in the city of Costa Mesa, approximately twenty people were arrested after anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with the candidate's supporters and police were confronted with a hostile crowd who vowed to challenge the noxious views of Trump's campaign.
As the Guardian reports:
Outside the venue, a crowd of largely Latino but also white and African American demonstrators shouted and chanted slogans before the event, then returned as it drew to a close.
Hundreds of people formed human barricades on an approach road to a nearby freeway, blocked the Fairgrounds exits, and waved banners that said "Build a Wall Around Trump" and "Dump the Trump".
Police appeared to be caught out by the protesters and had to call in reinforcements to separate them from the Trump supporters flooding into a large parking lot after the rally.
"Whose streets? Our streets!" the demonstrators chanted as hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, ordered them to disperse. While most remained peaceful and waved immigrants' rights banners, several of them jumped on a police patrol car parked at one corner of the Fairgrounds, smashed its windows and attempted to tip it over.
"I'm protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest," one demonstrator, 19-year-old Daniel Lujan, told the Los Angeles Times. "I knew this was going to happen," he added. "It was going to be a riot. He deserves what he gets."
Reporters and witnesses tweeted images and video from the scene:
Though local law enforcement had invited neighboring agencies to assist them and established an emergency operations center to monitor and control the crowds, the Times reports, "it was apparent to some that the sizable police presence was wrestling with a larger crowd than expected."
Megan Iyall, an out-of-towner who attended the rally, told the newspaper, "It definitely got out of control. I shouldn't feel this unsafe."
Though nothing is certain yet, each passing primary contest shows Trump closing in on securing his party's nomination. As a Trump nomination has steadily evolved from vague possibility to reality, numerous critics have warned about the sinister fascist undertones (as well as the overt xenophobia, nationalism, sexism, and racism) of his personality and those who support him.
For his part, the candidate appeared pleased with the evening, tweeting:
One ugly summer.
If events in California outside a Donald Trump rally on Thursday night are any indication, the months ahead are likely to inspire more acrimony than political inspiration as billionaire media personality Donald Trump emerges as the Republican Party's presidential nominee.
While holding an event at the Orange County Fair grounds in the city of Costa Mesa, approximately twenty people were arrested after anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with the candidate's supporters and police were confronted with a hostile crowd who vowed to challenge the noxious views of Trump's campaign.
As the Guardian reports:
Outside the venue, a crowd of largely Latino but also white and African American demonstrators shouted and chanted slogans before the event, then returned as it drew to a close.
Hundreds of people formed human barricades on an approach road to a nearby freeway, blocked the Fairgrounds exits, and waved banners that said "Build a Wall Around Trump" and "Dump the Trump".
Police appeared to be caught out by the protesters and had to call in reinforcements to separate them from the Trump supporters flooding into a large parking lot after the rally.
"Whose streets? Our streets!" the demonstrators chanted as hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, ordered them to disperse. While most remained peaceful and waved immigrants' rights banners, several of them jumped on a police patrol car parked at one corner of the Fairgrounds, smashed its windows and attempted to tip it over.
"I'm protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest," one demonstrator, 19-year-old Daniel Lujan, told the Los Angeles Times. "I knew this was going to happen," he added. "It was going to be a riot. He deserves what he gets."
Reporters and witnesses tweeted images and video from the scene:
Though local law enforcement had invited neighboring agencies to assist them and established an emergency operations center to monitor and control the crowds, the Times reports, "it was apparent to some that the sizable police presence was wrestling with a larger crowd than expected."
Megan Iyall, an out-of-towner who attended the rally, told the newspaper, "It definitely got out of control. I shouldn't feel this unsafe."
Though nothing is certain yet, each passing primary contest shows Trump closing in on securing his party's nomination. As a Trump nomination has steadily evolved from vague possibility to reality, numerous critics have warned about the sinister fascist undertones (as well as the overt xenophobia, nationalism, sexism, and racism) of his personality and those who support him.
For his part, the candidate appeared pleased with the evening, tweeting: