Thread: Trump Protesters Dog Campaign From City to City in Arizona

March 19, 2016 — 6:00 PM PDT
Kevin Cirilli

One demonstrator is beaten, others arrested or dispersed

`They're taking away our First Amendment rights,' Trump says

A protester at a Donald Trump campaign rally was kicked and punched by a supporter of the Republican presidential front-runner on Saturday, as activists continued to shadow the real-estate billionaire a week after he was forced to postpone a rally in Chicago.

The incident occurred at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, at which more than 100 protesters were positioned so close to the entrance that it was difficult for supporters to enter the venue.

Inside the rally, a female protester wore a white sheet over her head in imitation of a Ku Klux Klan hood. She was accompanied by a male demonstrator who held a sign with a Confederate flag imprinted on Trump’s face. As local police attempted to remove the pair, an African-American Trump supporter enraged at the appearance of the woman in the sheet kicked the man with the sign three times and punched him once.

Trump called the protester with the hood “really disgusting,” adding that “they’re taking away our First Amendment rights.” Authorities inside the rally also removed about a dozen protesters from the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

“They’re going to get a little television so their mom can say, ‘Hello,’” Trump said. He criticized the demonstrators who were outside “making it so it’s a very narrow passageway” for people to enter. “What’s the purpose?” he asked. “I apologize for the people that are coming in.”

Sanders Backer

Megan Dulce, 18, a Mexican-American who lives in Tucson and is supporting Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, said she heard about the protest on social media.

“What he says about us Mexicans? It’s dumb. He wants to throw us all out,” she said.

Confrontations with protesters have dogged the campaign from event to event. On Friday in Salt Lake City, several demonstrators outside the venue where Trump was speaking were forcibly removed to white tents near the entrance. About a dozen police officers in riot gear were brought in to disperse the crowd. There were no reported injuries.

On Saturday morning in Phoenix, local police arrested three protesters -- including at least one who chained himself to a car -- in the middle of a highway while they were attempting to prevent people from attending a Trump rally there.

Sheriff’s Support

In Tucson, Trump was accompanied by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who endorsed the candidate in January and, like Trump, is a staunch advocate of deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally. Trump said Arpaio instructed authorities to break up the highway protests in Phoenix. “They arrested three people, and everybody else left,” Trump said.

Arpaio introduced Trump and criticized the protesters for trying to “intimidate” people who wanted to attend the rally. He said he would “lock up the demonstrators and throw them in jail.”

Arizona state Treasurer Jeff DeWit, a Republican who backs Trump, also criticized the protesters, asking the crowd if they had seen “the jerks standing outside the door” at the rally. “They have a First Amendment right to be as stupid as they want.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/ar...ity-in-arizona

Inside the rally, a female protester wore a white sheet over her head in imitation of a Ku Klux Klan hood. She was accompanied by a male demonstrator who held a sign with a Confederate flag imprinted on Trump’s face. As local police attempted to remove the pair, an African-American Trump supporter enraged at the appearance of the woman in the sheet kicked the man with the sign three times and punched him once.

Jean, I've seen at least a dozen mentions of this "assault" and your article from Bloomberg is the ONLY ONE that mentioned the race of the enraged Trump Supporter as being a black American.

Not one mainstream media network mentioned this important fact. When these protestors entered this private rally with Confederate Flag representations and wearing the garb of the KKK to try to attack Trump, what they were actually doing was offending black Americans at the rally which makes it hate speech.

This is a legal defense I think Trump should consider helping with if the person needs the help.

Protester sucker punched during Donald Trump rally in ‘physical pain’ after violent Tucson, Ariz., event
BY Nicole Hensley, Meg Wagner, Ginger Adams Otis
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Sunday, March 20, 2016, 1:03 AM

Another day, another beatdown at a Trump rally.

With the GOP frontrunner on stage, a Trump supporter at a rally in Tucson viciously assaulted a protester who was being led away.

The disturbing melee pitted a kicking, punch-throwing Trumper loyalist against Bryan Sanders, 33, a protester kicked out of the rally at 3 p.m. Saturday for chanting “liar” amid a rabid crowd. It was yet one more slice of mayhem following Trump and his screwball campaign across the country.

“I feel great that I'm not dead, but I am definitely in physical pain,” Sanders told the Daily News.

The Tucson resident is nursing a swollen jaw and bruised ribcage after his alleged attacker, Tony Pettway, 32, landed a brutal sucker punch to Sanders’ right jaw.

Bryan Sanders sent the Daily News a picture of his roughed up face after being sucker punched by Tony Pettway at a Donald Trump rally Saturday.

Pettway continued with a flurry of five to six punches before kicking and stomping on Sanders at a Tucson Arena stairwell.

“I have nothing against the guy that attacked me," said Sanders, who was waving a picture of Trump overlaid with the Confederate flag when Pettway walloped him. "I don’t know him. He’s just an angry person and his anger is being accentuated by the political movement.”

The assault was caught on video from at least two angles, showing a swarm of cops weaving through a crowd of Trump supporters to grab Pettway. He faces a misdemeanor assault charge in suspicion of beating up Sanders.

The beatdown lasted nearly 10 seconds before security officers and police intervened.

“It’s disturbing for me to watch,” Sanders added. “Who would have intervened if this man had kept going? I’m actually frightened.”

In another incident, Trump’s hotheaded campaign manager Corey Lewandowski — already accused of grabbing a woman reporter’s arm and shoving her to the ground at a March 8 Florida rally — was seen in a blue suit wading into the crowd.

Lewandowski went nose-to-nose with a young protester who found himself surrounded by an angry crowd. Video shows Lewandowski’s hand landing briefly on the protester’s collar, as the man next to Lewandowski yanks the young man backward.

Trump said in a statement that Lewandowski hadn’t gotten physical with anyone at the rally and reiterated that the candidate doesn’t condone violence.

The tension started early Saturday on a sun-drenched stretch of desert highway where a Wild West showdown took place between demonstrators and sheriff’s deputies, delaying the GOP front-runner and his supporters from attending a rally in Fountain Hills.

The Trump haters parked their cars in the middle of the three-lane road leading to the Phoenix suburb and unfurled banners bashing the controversial candidate.

Some even chained themselves to their cars to slow down cops’ efforts to clear the blockade.

Traffic was backed up for miles, with drivers honking in fury.

“We are here to send a message loud and clear to Donald Trump that he is not welcomed in Arizona and we will not allow his racism and bigotry to go unchecked,” said Francisca Porchas, one of the organizers of the protest.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.2570353
____________________________

No mention of the race of the Trump Supporter and no mention of Sanders companion dressed in KKK garb. Selecting reporting.

Note: There are photos and a short video in the link in post above.

“It’s disturbing for me to watch,” Sanders added. “Who would have intervened if this man had kept going? I’m actually frightened.”

Yes, it may not be safe for you protestors inside the Trump rallies at this point. You need to stay home or stay outside behind the line. After all, you might not be the only ones willing to be arrested for your political beliefs.

Click on link and then video where Bryan Sanders is interviewed and says "we're going to stop this, this is not going to continue, if it takes someone getting punched in the face, then that's what it takes, no problem". I guess he means they're going to stop going inside the rallies to protest. He's a Bernie Supporter, went to the Bernie Rally the night before. Called the Bernie Rally "democracy" with no protests and called the Trump rally "facism and an angry mob." When you're the one that makes the crowd angry, then you're the facists, not the Trump Supporters you're offending, annoying and provoking. Found his Facebook page and he's a Bernie Sanders Supporter. They're the ones behind these protests. Shame on you Bernie, Shame on you.

http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-an...bb82d934f.html

http://www.alipac.us/f9/trump-under-...-soros-330400/

Megan Dulce, 18, a Mexican-American who lives in Tucson and is supporting Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, said she heard about the protest on social media.

Sheep.

In another incident, Trump’s hotheaded campaign manager Corey Lewandowski — already accused of grabbing a woman reporter’s arm and shoving her to the ground at a March 8 Florida rally — was seen in a blue suit wading into the crowd.

Trump is so right about the lying media and this is a good example. It has already been proven that Michelle Fields lied about this incident

http://www.alipac.us/f9/case-closed-...e-hoax-330170/

http://www.alipac.us/f9/reporter-mic...manage-330382/

What does Chris Brown have to say now?