Protesters briefly scuffled with police at the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. USA TODAY
Organizers are gearing up for another night of protests Wednesday after hundreds marched in cities across the country and several were arrested on Election Day.
More than 520 events organized nationwide by Protect the Results on Wednesday and beyond if President Donald Trump either refuses to accept election results or prematurely declares victory. Trump falsely claimed he had won the presidential election early Wednesday and threatened to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the counting of legally cast absentee ballots.
Protect the Results is a coalition of more than 165 grassroots organizations, advocacy groups and labor unions led by activist groups Indivisible and Stand Up America.
Organizers at ShutDownDC plan for more aggressive actions as the week goes on depending on the outcome of the election, such as if Trump were to win reelection or to question the election outcome.
ShutDownDC organizers have plans to “disrupt business as usual for some of the institutions that are most complicit in Trump’s attack on Democracy.” On Thursday, they plan to host a caravan of motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
In Chicago, several protests were planned in neighborhoods throughout the city for Wednesday night.
On Election Night, hundreds marched through the streets and several were arrested in cities including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Raleigh.
Police in Seattle said they arrested eight people on charges including pedestrian interference, obstruction, assault on an officer and reckless driving.
A D.C. Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said at least one arrest had been made as of just before 10 p.m. An adult male was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, crossing a police line and resisting arrest.
Several arrests were reported in Los Angeles as police in riot gear faced off against dozens of protesters.
Six people were arrested in North Carolina’s capital city when a crowd of protesters began throwing rocks and other items during the demonstration, police said. The charges against them includes failure to disperse, assault on a law enforcement officer, resist, delay, and obstruct and disorderly conduct.
In Minneapolis, police arrested several demonstrators from among about 30 who had gathered in the city’s uptown, WCCO-TV reported.
Contributing: Chris Quintana and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
Follow N’dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg
