Objections to President Donald Trump’s inauguration began early and have spread.
Individuals and groups in Washington, D.C., where Trump took his official oath to become the 45th President of the United States, trudged through cold and rainy weather to protest the New York businessman's rise to office.
Police have clashed with dissenters, using pepper spray and force to counter damaged property and smashed windows reported at some local businesses. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested more than 90 people in connection to the demonstrations and blocked off the intersection of 13 and K.
The protesters within the city do not necessarily share the same interests.
Two blocks away from McPherson Square, where a large group held a planned, permitted and peaceful demonstration, a radical group set a limo on fire. As police advanced, a group intervened to try to calm tensions and invoked the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture, a reference to Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. DC Police responded to protesters by shooting mace, which hit the crowd and media covering the activity unfolding, including AJC photographer Hyosub Shin and AJC reporter Jeff Ernsthausen.
Credit: Hyosub Shin
Credit: Hyosub Shin
Counter protests to today's activities are already underway in cities across the country. Congressman John Lewis is set to speak at the Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women on Saturday.
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