http://www.candygist.com/2016/04/protesters-clash-with-cops-at.html
Police clashed with hundreds of protesters outside Donald Trump's rally in Southern California on Thursday night.



At least one police car was smashed up as hundreds of demonstrators – many of them waving Mexican flags – took to the streets outside the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, Orange County where Trump was speaking.

The protesters flooded the street outside the amphitheater with some stomping on cars, hurling rocks at motorists and forcefully declaring their opposition to Trump - bringing traffic to a halt and creating a tense standoff with authorities.

One Trump supporter was pictured with a bloody facing after clashing with the anti-Trump activists, many of whom were young Hispanic people.

The violence in Southern California where Latinos make up a large segment of the population suggests Trump may face more of this in the days to come, as he campaigns ahead of the state’s June 7 primary

Early Friday, authorities said there were no major injuries following the ordeal and that crowds dispersed by 11pm.

Traffic came to a stop as protesters gathered and blocked traffic while carrying signs in the intersection of Fair Drive and Fairview Road, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Photos from the scene showed a visibly bloodied Trump supporter after he was punched in the face as well as several people being arrested and handcuffed by police.

In the chaotic scenes, some of the demonstrators reportedly carried benches and blocked the entrance to the 55 Freeway along Newport Boulevard.

As they blocked traffic, a group of protesters waved both American and Mexican flags while others had signs with messages including 'Dump the Trump,' according to the Times.

At one point, a demonstrator was seen stomping on a police car, causing the car's windows to smash, while another scrawled an expletive and Trump's name onto a police cruiser. Some of the protesters also reportedly tossed rocks and debris at cars passing by.

Officers in riot gear from the Costa Mesa Police Department and sheriffs on horseback lined a roadway and told demonstrators to clear the road, but many remained in the street.

At one point, seven women wearing no shirts and Bernie Sanders stickers over their breasts entered the square outside the amphitheater.

They said they were protesting Trump's lack of engagement on issues of gender equality and women's rights and had slogans such as 'Dump Trump' and 'Gender Equality' written in marker on their midriffs.

'I feel like he wants to make America great again, but certainly not for women, for the LBGTQ community or for the lower class,' said one of the women, Tiernan Hebron. 'He has, like, done nothing to help with gender equality or women's rights or reproductive rights or anything

During his speech, Trump - apparently unaware of the chaos engulfing the rally outside the theater - told the crowd: 'Our rallies are the safest place to be on Earth, believe me', The Guardian reported.
Additional forces from law enforcement agencies had been deployed to deal with tonight's crowd, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While Costa Mesa officials had also set up an emergency operations center opposite the fairground and amphitheater, with city spokesman Tony Dodero adding earlier, 'we're prepared for the worst.'
There were were nearly 200 officers and deputies at the scene, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

However, as the chaotic scenes played out it seemed police were dealing with a larger and more boisterous crowd than expected.

'It definitely got out of control,' Megan Iyall, 20, who was visiting from Seattle told the Times. 'I shouldn't feel this unsafe.'

She added: 'I know people are angry and upset but that should not be happening.'

The Republican presidential frontrunner was campaigning on Thursday ahead of the state's June 7 presidential primary, among the last in the nation.

He is vying for votes in the primary election in hope of narrowing the gap to the 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican presidential nomination.

His rally earlier at the OC fairgrounds attracted a group of supporters who proudly showed their allegiance to him.

Some supporters were seen waving a 'Gays for Trump' sign while other signs read 'Latinos for Trump' and 'Black Christian Women for Trump.'

Meanwhile, protesters voiced their opposition to Trump's campaign which has been criticized for marginalizing women, Latinos and other ethnic groups as well for his policies on immigration and offensive remarks about Mexicans, claiming Mexico was sending rapists over the border.

Earlier in his campaign, he called for a 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims' entering the United States.

The rally on Thursday was set to begin at 7pm but kicked off about a half hour later.

As a large crowd of mostly Trump supporters gathered outside the venue before it started, there were several scuffles between supporters and anti-Trump protesters, according to KTLA.

Trump had kicked off the rally by appealing to conservative California voters with his pledge to crack down on immigration and plans to build a huge wall on the border with Mexico.

He also appeared to take aim at Muslims, sharing a now discredited story about a First World War general who was said to have stopped insurgency by ordering his troops to use bullets dipped in pigs' blood to kill Muslim terrorists.

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