Inauguration Protests Pop Up Across Country; 95 Arrested In Washington

WASHINGTON, DC — Thousands of protesters across the country — some smashing windows and setting fire to trash cans — marched through streets and crowded city landmarks on Friday, demonstrating against the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Police in the nation's capital, wearing riot gear and marching shoulder-to-shoulder, used pepper spray and flash-bang grenades to disperse parts of the crowds. At least 95 people were arrested Friday in Washington amid protests and demonstrations that caused "significant damage to a number of blocks in our city," the city's interim police chief, Peter Newsham, told reporters.

The damage was limited, though, to just a few blocks in the city, Newsham said. Thousands of other protesters peacefully marched near the route of the inaugural parade.

Newsham told CNN that there were "maybe a couple of hundred" protesters who were violent. "In the grand scheme of things, this is a small disturbance in a small part of the city," he continued. "Literally, we have thousands of others who are peacefully demonstrating."

Demonstrations also popped up in cities big and small across the country, as protesters took to the streets (and the skies) to show their opposition to America's new president. They came a day before coordinated marches across the country that were expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people.

The day began peacefully.

In Washington, Kim Jaffee of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was holding a sign that parodied the iconic Obama "Hope" poster. It had an image of Trump framed by the words "Dope" and "Nope." Jaffee said she came to protest an administration she anticipates will be against "all social justice and human rights."

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"Victoria" of Charleston, West Virginia, held a sign Friday morning that read "My Mind. My Body. My Choice." She is in town for the Women's Mach on Washington, which could bring more than 100,000 to the district to protest Trump's presidency on Saturday. "I'm fighting for my right to health care and her right to an education," Victoria said, hugging her young daughter.

After the inauguration, some people used force to show their disdain. Demonstrators hurled objects through windows of a Starbucks and Bank of America on I Street.

As the 3 p.m. parade approached, authorities took forceful measures to clear streets and corral protesters. During live television shots of demonstrations pepper spray was deployed and flash-bang grenades were heard.

Reporters at the Washington Post shared photos of fires being lit on the streets outside the paper's office.

More: Women's March on Washington Need to Know Info

According to reporters from the Post on Twitter, fire was set to a limo outside the office, and the fire department arrived to suppress the blaze. Police had to move protesters back from the car so fire fighters could do their job. According to Yamiche Alcindor, a reporter for the New York Times, protesters in black masks threw sticks and rocks at the police. One officer sprayed a demonstrator with pepper spray after he refused to stand back from the police line.

In New York City, demonstrators blocked traffic in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where the president is expected to spend significant time outside of the White House.

The protesters there were met by a heavy police presence, and some were arrested. Among the arrestees were New York City council members. According to witnesses, the arrests were conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Earlier in the day, protesters formed a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge, from San Francisco to Marin County.

Nearby, protests broke out in Oakland, with around 1,000 people participating in what they called the "March of the Working Class." In Santa Cruz, police blocked roads to make way for marching crowds.

Two Portland, Oregon, schools were closing early on Friday to avoid protests expected nearby. "Vandalism hurts our community," Mayor Ted Wheeler said earlier in the week, before stressing that "most businesses in Portland are local businesses."

Protesters clogged Boston Common after the inauguration, ahead of the Boston's Women's March planned for Saturday. The city, frequently plagued by gridlock, faced blockages heading into Friday's rush hour. Groups chanted "This is what democracy looks like!" and "No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!" as they marched.

In Chicago, police were lined up outside of Trump's hotel in the Windy City, where a protest was planned for later Friday evening.

Protesters in Minneapolis, some from a group called the "Resist from Day One Coalition," blocked traffic in the streets, leading to delays. Police diverted traffic from affected areas and asked motorists to find alternative routes to avoid the protests. They estimated that at least 400-500 people took to the streets, and no violence has yet been reported

In Tennessee, some demonstrators chained themselves to the state capitol building. Students at the University of Texas held a rally on the school's campus.

The demonstrations came a day before the Women's March on Washington, an organized event expected to bring hundreds of thousands of protesters — men and women — to the nation's capital. Similar women's marches have been planned across the country.

Disappointed progressives weren't the only ones protesting Trump's inauguration in downtown D.C. The family behind the Westboro Baptist Church, a group that frequently protests against progressive causes, held signs Friday that read "Keep God's Law" and "Adulterer and Chief" — that one had a picture of Trump. Another protester had a large image of a human fetus with a sign that read, "President Trump: Keep Your Promise to the Babies."

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Cameron Luttrell, Patrick Martin, Marc Torrence, Cody Fenwick and Dan Taylor contributed to this report.

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