Dozens of fights broke out on the streets of downtown San Jose on Thursday night as police in riot gear struggled to keep the peace between hundreds of protesters and streams of Donald Trump fans leaving his rally at the city’s convention center.
Several protesters jumped on cars of Trump supporters, while others burned red “Make America Great” hats and took selfies with the charred remains. Demonstrators waved Mexican flags as Trump supporters told them to “go back to Mexico.”
About 9 p.m, there were about 200 protesters about a block away from the convention center as about 70 police in riot gear created a line around the demonstrators. Police lined up, trying to move the protesters onto the street. Police yelled, “Keep moving, keep moving. This is an unlawful assembly.” Protesters tossed epithets at the officers.
Exactly who was involved in the violence and where they were from is unclear, but numerous members of the crowd were Latinos from East San Jose who said they opposed the violence but condemned Trump for touting racism.