Philadelphia, Minneapolis among cities seeing post-election unrest
Ns News Online Desk: The Philadelphia protest also included a demonstration against the Oct. 26 shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. by city police
Cities seeing post-election unrest
The Philadelphia protest also included a demonstration against the Oct. 26 shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. by city police With the U.S. presidential election still undecided Wednesday, protests broke out in cities across the U.S., with many groups urging that every vote be counted in the race between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.Many of the protests were being led by Black Lives Matter and Shutdown DC, which conducted training for months leading up to Election Day.
Cities included in the effort included Washington, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, Ore. Other cities seeing protests included Philadelphia and Minneapolis.
In Philadelphia, two different protests converged into one, according to reports.
The Count Every Vote movement, which aims to ensure all votes are counted in the presidential election, combined with protesters calling for the termination of police officers involved in the Oct. 26 shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man who police claimed came at officers with a knife. TRUMP SUPPORTERS PROTEST AT ARIZONA VOTING CENTER WHILE BALLOTS ARE TALLIED
The two Philadelphia groups gathered in front of Independence Hall, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, before heading to City Hall and to Mayor Jim Kenney’s home in the Old City neighborhood, according to the newspaper.The protest came on the same day that city officials released police body-cam footage from the officers’ interaction with Wallace, as well as 911 recordings. The release was done in cooperation with members of Wallace’s family, according to video posted by FOX 29 of Philadelphia.
Authorities also identified the officers involved in the incident as Officer Sean Matarazzo, 25, and Officer Thomas Munz, 26, the report said.In Minneapolis, a large Count Every Vote crowd blocked traffic on Interstate 94 at Riverside Avenue, according to video shared by FOX 9 Minneapolis’ Karen Scullin. State Patrol troopers and Minneapolis police said they were arresting protesters.
“Walking on the freeway is illegal and very dangerous for pedestrians and motorists,” the State Patrol wrote. “We respect the right of everyone to express themselves under the First Amendment, but the freeway is not a place to do that.”On Wednesday night the race in Pennsylvania between Trump and Biden remained too close to call. Trump was leading Biden, 51.4% to 47.6%, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump declared victory in multiple key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, even though official results remained unclear. The president asserted that continuing to count ballots in states such as Pennsylvania was an attempt to disenfranchise people who voted for him.
As for Minnesota, the Fox News Decision Desk called the race for Biden, who was leading the state with 52.6% of the vote compared to Trump’s 45.4%, according to estimates. In Washington, demonstrators were set to gather around midday Wednesday either at Union Station or at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House to “keep showing up and keep supporting each other until the people swear in the new government.”
“The polls have closed and record numbers of voters have cast their ballots in this election. Now it’s time to make sure that every single vote is counted, so we can preserve the pillars of democracy and build the future we want to live in,” the organization said on its website.Police later said four people were arrested in D.C. between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning in instances related to overnight unrest. Investigators were looking for three suspects who reportedly slashed at least four people, including a Proud Boys leader.
Businesses were boarded up in the nation’s capital prior to Election Day, and a fence was installed around the White House perimeter.