Protesters take to streets after Trump rally in California

Scores of protesters took to the streets Thursday night outside a Donald Trump campaign event here, drawing out police officers in riot and tactical gear and on horseback who sought to disperse the crowd.

The crowd gathered in the streets outside the OC Fair & Event Center as Trump addressed several thousand supporters at the Center’s amphitheater. At least one police car was damaged and several scuffles broke out amid the hectic scene.

Protesters blocked a main intersection, impeding traffic, and officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Costa Mesa Police Department worked to disperse the crowd, ordering protesters out of the streets.

About 20 people were arrested, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department tweeted late Thursday night after the protests had cleared.

Several scuffles broke out between Trump supporters who were leaving the rally and people in the streets who accused them of being racists. One Trump supporter was visibly bloodied after being punched in the face.

While some demonstrators shouted insults and slurs at police officers, others focused on delivering a message of protest against the Republican front-runner’s rhetoric.

Rojelio Banuelos, a 26-year-old student, carried a sign that read, “Liberation not deportation.”
“I’m against Trump’s nativist and nationalistic agenda, which divides people and is very hateful of the other,” he said.

“I think people are tired of these messages of hate,” she said.

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