More than a dozen protesters and a handful of supporters gathered across the street from Trump Tower in midtown on Friday, shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 45th president.
Police kept traffic moving on Fifth Avenue as protesters held signs and stood quietly on the chilly afternoon.
One incident did stop about 20 vehicles from flowing for a bit around 12:10 p.m., the NYPD said, when a group of protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct. Among them were two councilmen from Brooklyn, Democrats Jumaane Williams and Carlos Menchaca.
They, along with five others, sat on Fifth Avenue near 56th Street, police said.
Also arrested, per a statement from Williams’ office, were Williams’ mother Patricia Williams; Pastor Gilford Monrose, of the 67th Precinct Clergy Council; the National Action Network’s Kirsten Foy; and Margalit Ewart.
All have since been released, police said.
“My arrest on Fifth Avenue today is the start of my daily resistance to the Trump administration’s abhorrent intentions,” Menchaca said in the statement. Resist from Day One was the theme of the group’s rally.
After the arrests, the scene near Trump Tower remained relatively quiet. Another protester, Lorena Ambrosio, held up one end of an anti-Trump banner outside the building.
“It’s important to be here, and to show that the people stand up against this,” said the 28-year-old an artist from Park Slope. “It’s important for us to keep coming and keep using our voices.”
Katie Wright, 21, who stood stoically on Fifth Avenue, said she boycotted watching the inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“It’s a pretty terrible day for America and democracy worldwide,” said Wright, a student who lives in Alphabet City. “He lost the popular vote. He shouldn’t be president.”
Wright said it was important for her to be at Trump Tower “to represent a dissenting voice, to show the people of America are not pleased.”
Amid the anti-Trump protesters were several supporters. Jovi Val, 25, of Riverdale, said he’s been showing up at the iconic Fifth Avenue building since before Christmas. Val, wearing Trump’s signature campaign hat, held a sign of his own with the hashtags “ByeByeBarry” and “HelloDonald.”
“There are many of us here, but they’re afraid to say anything,” he said about fellow Trump supporters. “There’s a misinterpretation of being pro-Trump. As Americans, we should have our own political views — we all come from different walks of life.”
Val said he was hoping Trump would bring “a change that we were promised from Obama.”
A fellow supporter, also sporting the “Make American Great Again” red hat, walked by, chanting “Trump.”
With amNY.com staff
