Protests peaceful outside courthouse for Trump’s arraignment
New York’s ability to conduct safe, drama-free court proceedings could be an important test case for other prosecutors conducting investigations into Trump. .
WASHINGTON — Despite former President Donald Trump’s fiery rhetoric surrounding his indictment by a grand jury in New York and increased security around the courthouse where he faces charges crimes, protests by both supporters and detractors remained relatively calm on Tuesday morning.
Journalists covering the historic event often outnumbered the protesters outside the courthouse, the Associated Press reported.
Among the protesters in support of the former president were some of his fiercest congressional allies.
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene staged a rally in a park near the courthouse on Tuesday, but it was hard to hear her speak in front of a crowd of reporters and pro- and anti-protesters. Trump.
Like Greene, New York Republican Representative George Santos showed solidarity with Trump, saying, “I want to support the president.”
“I think this is unprecedented and it’s a bad day for democracy,” Santos told the Associated Press, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which “undermines the justice system.”
The scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge are free of major unrest. Police tried to separate the former president’s supporters from those who opposed him by locking them up on separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal fences.
One protester held up a sign that read “Trump or die 1776 2024,” but others carried a sign with a picture of Trump in prison.
Video from a park near the courthouse showed a small crowd, but many appeared to be standing around passively, without the chants or screams that often accompany large protests.
ABC News reported on “small verbal skirmishes” between protesters and counter-protesters, though nothing became so intense that police had to intervene.
New York police say they are ready for massive rallies by Trump supporters, who share the former Republican president’s belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three protests The pending additional investigation is politically motivated and is intended to undermine his bid to regain the White House in 2024.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city was prepared for any trouble caused by the high-profile case.
“While there may be some extremists thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Take control of yourself,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
On his Truth Social page, Trump posted before the indictment was announced that he was expected to be arrested, and called on his supporters to stand up when it happened.
The message recalls the failed attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Trump tried to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2016 election. 2020.
In subsequent messages, Trump complained about what he called a “KANGAROO COURT” in the Democratic-heavy city.
New York’s ability to conduct court proceedings safely and without drama in a case involving a divisive former president could be an important test when prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conducting their own investigations into Trump could also lead to charges. Those investigations involved an attempt to annul the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/peaceful-crowds-outside-courthouse-trump-arraignment/507-256b9240-5239-4284-8b80-359faadb9166 Protests peaceful outside courthouse for Trump’s arraignment
