Police, Supporters and Protesters Gather for Donald Trump Rally in San Diego
Police, Supporters and Protesters Gather for Donald Trump Rally in San Diego
Trump is set to speak at 2 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center downtown
By Liberty Zabala and Monica Garske
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump will hold a rally in San Diego Friday and supporters, protesters and police are all expected at the high-profile event.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. at the rally inside the San Diego Convention Center in downtown San Diego.
Officers with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and other law enforcement agencies began staging security preparations for the rally around 6 a.m.
Trump supporters, many decked out in Trump shirts and hats, began filing into the area early, securing their spots in line. Protesters, signs in hand, prepared early as well.
[IMG]http://media.nbcsandiego.com/images/620*349/Trump-SD-Rally-8.jpg[/IMG]Donald Trump Rallies in San Diego
In light of violence earlier this week at Trump's rally in Anaheim, California, and in an effort to keep this rally peaceful, SDPD officials designated certain zones around the convention center as areas for Trump supporters and areas for protesters.
Some protesters told NBC 7 they were planning to demonstrate outside the designated zones. At least three separate groups planned to hold marches and protests against Trump near his rally venue, including one group planning to stage a peaceful protest at Fifth Avenue and Harbor Drive across the street from the convention center. That group said they wanted their voices heard but were not looking for a fight.
Earlier this week, SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said “swift and decisive action”would be taken by police against anyone planning violence during Trump’s visit to San Diego.
“We are not going to tolerate violence or disobedience to the law during this event," said Zimmerman. "We will take swift and decisive action for anyone who causes an unsafe environment by engaging in illegal activity."
The police department reminded protesters that it’s illegal to block sidewalks or interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic along the busy streets near the convention center.
"We have designated free speech areas for those wishing to participate in peaceful demonstrations.
These zones have been designated to allow the participants to have a reasonable opportunity to communicate their message in a peaceful way to the intended audience," Zimmerman said.
The chief said there would be uniformed and plainclothes officers out in full force at the rally.
As SDPD officers set up barricades in front of the convention center Friday morning, an enthusiastic crowd applauded the officers, one man chanting, “Blue lives matter!”
Many Trump supporters rolled out the welcome mat for the Republican, including Solana Beach congressional candidate Reagan Allvord who woke up very early to line up for the rally hours before Trump was set to speak.
“Americans need to stand up for America and I want to stand 24 hours – to do it prior to the Trump rally because that’s what it’s taking,” Allvord told NBC 7.
“We want to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the last two elections where Republicans stayed home and didn’t vote.”
Trump supporter Cynthia Bevins lined up for the rally with her young son. They both wore hats with the Trump slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
“We just need him for our country,” said Bevins.
Two 18-year-old supporters felt the same way about Trump.
“I like how he puts America first,” one of them told NBC 7.
A Trump supporter who was attacked by protesters in Costa Mesa, California, last month was one of the first supporters in line for the San Diego rally Friday, NBC's Jacob Racon reported.
Vendors lined up outside the convention center to sell merchandise to Trump supporters, too.
Meanwhile, those against Trump sang a very different tune.
“San Diego is not supporting a Trump presidency,” one Trump opponent told NBC 7. “The dangers of such a presidency, is really, to inflame racial issues across this country and [cause] havoc abroad.”
Just before 10 a.m., dozens of SDPD officers outfitted themselves with protective riot gear in anticipation of the crowds at the rally.
If Trump’s San Diego rally is anything like his rally in Anaheim, things could get tense. At the Anaheim rally, shouting matches and violent confrontations erupted between opponents and supporters. Several people were detained after police declared the event an unlawful assembly.
Zimmerman told news media there was “significant presence” of SDPD personnel, as well as crews from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD). She said officers had been in contact with groups protesting the event, and the groups planned to organize peacefully.
“That’s the emphasis,” Zimmerman added.
The chief said the SDPD was working closely with other state, local and federal agencies to protect public safety at the rally. She said SDPD officials had been monitoring previous Trump rallies in anticipation for Trump’s appearance in San Diego.
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