Filed under: Action, Anarchist Movement, Featured, The State, US
In the face of massive State repression, including National Guard deployments, militarized police, and DHS shock troops across the so-called US in the lead up to the election, thousands took to the streets starting on November 3rd, both to oppose an attempt by the Trump administration to launch a grab to stay in power by stopping the counting of votes and also to decry the entire colonial-capitalist State system.
Reports that Oregon National Guard has joined in with police attacks on #Portland citizens downtown. Cops are attacking people in the streets all across the country tonight. pic.twitter.com/yvzmEA7IDY
— ?Black Rose/Rosa Negra⚫️ (@BRRN_Fed) November 6, 2020
In Seattle, police brutally attacked and arrested several protesters, leaving one person in critical care as of this writing. In Portland, Oregon, over a thousand took to the streets in various marches, with a black bloc of several hundred strong breaking windows out at banks and corporate stores and chanting, “No police, no prisons, total abolition!” Police then declared a riot and National Guard were dispatched to the scene, as snatch vans roamed the streets, attempting to make arrests.
Police also made mass arrests in several cities. In Minneapolis, where in late May the city exploded following the police murder of George Floyd, police ketteled and arrested around 650 people. Meanwhile in New York, police made several brutal mass arrests of demonstrators. In Philadelphia, marchers protesting for Walter Wallace, Jr, a young African-American man killed by the police, joined up with another march demanding that all votes be counted. Finally in Washington DC, protests remain ongoing, with the Shutdown DC coalition continuing to bring people out and into the streets, despite a heavily militarized buildup of law enforcement and the White House fortifying itself against a potential uprising.
In other news, despite a build up of violent pro-Trump actions and attacks in the lead up to the election, few if any far-Right groups mobilized on November 3rd. Despite scattered incidents, by and large, groups of militias and Proud Boys were not seen outside of poling stations. By November 4th however, Trump supporters had descended on a vote counting office in Detroit, demanding that volunteers stop counting the votes, as Trump had begun to push a variety of conspiracy theories in a effort to hold onto the Presidency. Ironically, another group of Trump supporters also converged in Arizona, demanding the opposite: that all votes be counted after Fox News and other outlets had called the state for Biden.
So the “stop the steal” demonstration in Harrisburg has devolved into… a MAGA karaoke session with a a couple dozen people. The song: “First Date With An AK” pic.twitter.com/JHXRA5A1YD
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) November 5, 2020
Speaking to this reality of seemingly disorganized far-Right mobilizations and interventions around the election, antifascist researcher and author Spencer Sunshine stated in an interview with It’s Going Down:
With the collapse of the white nationalist faction, the remaining far-Right pro-Trumpist forces have remained comparatively quiet up until now. It may be that they have some lingering attachment to the US patriotism – as opposed to the cult of Trump – and are hesitant to actually disrupt a national election in person. They may be convinced that Trump will win and so there is no urgent need for action. And they may be waiting to see what happens after the results are in. Of course, we hope for their plans will end with a whimper and not a bang, but right now anything seems possible.
Ironically, the only incident involving a organized far-Right group outside of the recount protests that did gain any attention, was when the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, along with several others, were attacked and stabbed in Washington DC after they attempted to confront a group of youths on the street.
The Trump campaign is openly calling for a judicial coup https://t.co/ysT3EKaIUZ
— Arthur Pye ?? (@PyesOnThePrize) November 6, 2020
As Trump continues to push a mish-mash of conspiracy theories that the election is being “stolen” and his legal team continues to try and block the vote, the far-Right will continue to push for Trump to remain in office by any means necessary. Meanwhile, financial capitalists are already expecting big profits, as they know Republicans in Congress will block tax hikes and Biden will be a much more stable ruler. For the exploited and excluded however, no matter who becomes President, they will govern over a a country increasingly racked by the pandemic, crippling economic and racial inequality, rising authoritarianism, and a burgeoning ecological crisis.
Check out our action roundup here.
Seattle, WA
#SeattleProtest – Protesters gather at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. pic.twitter.com/xEe4cwOXXM
— Omari Salisbury (@Omarisal) November 5, 2020
Going over the footage again today with less enraged eyes. Noticed that two protesters were violently thrown to the ground and beaten (red circles). The victim that was unresponsive was PUNCHED by one of the 6 cops piled on them. #seattleprotests #seattleprotest #AbolishPolice pic.twitter.com/RFRToCMM7N
— Subpixel Alchemist (@MarcusKulik) November 5, 2020
Portland, OR:
Portland protest day after the election pic.twitter.com/KEgaBoKzHN
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 5, 2020
"No cops, no prisons"#Portland #portlandprotest #PDX #PDXprotests #Protests pic.twitter.com/NcGlCcO94u
— Durham Operations? (@canadarcho) November 4, 2020
About 200 people are in downtown Portland for a planned protest, regardless of the winner, after the election.
The social media flyer promoted becoming “ungovernable”
Most of the protestors are dressed in black bloc. pic.twitter.com/djR0Y4ij39— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 5, 2020
“What does look look like? revolution” pic.twitter.com/nKZ3kd5IUY
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 5, 2020
Oregon state police bull rush and push one woman to the ground and tackle another pic.twitter.com/Dpx7j3mXeF
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 5, 2020
San Francisco, CA:
In Tupac words,"Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west". It's now 7.10 pm & San Francisco residents have started a peaceful protest ,"Protect the results" ✌? pic.twitter.com/cVtm4TAAr1
— Njîra Njeri (@NjiraNjeri) November 5, 2020
Sacramento, CA:
BREAKING NEWS: Protesters are on the move in #Sacramento, California!
(Source of vid: BlackZebraProduction) pic.twitter.com/YkuTmGVlvB
— Asuka_Intel (@AsukaIntel) November 5, 2020
Los Angeles, CA:
@acatwithnews and I were arrested tonight while documenting a protest. We were kettled and given no escape route. LAPD specifically targeted us for being journalists who were filming what occurred. #election2020 #FreedomOfThePress pic.twitter.com/G7JscEGcVk
— Vishal P Singh (@VPS_Reports) November 5, 2020
San Diego, CA:
Protesters are boarding a passing train in downtown #SanDiego. #ElectionResults2020 #USAElections2020 #California #BlackLivesMatter #blm #protests2020 #blazeit pic.twitter.com/BWcFSb5AsC
— Erik Herrera (@DuvalinPapi) November 5, 2020
The protest has left the SD County Administration Bldg grounds and has now taken the march to Ash Street. #SanDiego #California #BlackLivesMatter #ElectionResults2020 #USElection #BLM #protests2020 #southerncalifornia #blazeit pic.twitter.com/5zXa7Bx48c
— Erik Herrera (@DuvalinPapi) November 5, 2020
Denver, CO:
Nearly 150 protesters marched in downtown #Denver Wednesday night to denounce #PresidentTrump and likely #2020PresidentialElection winner Joe Biden. Police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd after an hour and a half. There were four arrests. pic.twitter.com/RkfgdZoUpi
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2020
Minneapolis, MN:
Led by an "America Is Over!" banner, ~50 ppl marched thru Uptown #Minneapolis last night.
Streets were blocked off with construction materials.
Fireworks were shot.
Slogans like "Fuck 12" & "No more prez" were spray painted.
Police kettled march as it dispersed & arrested 14. pic.twitter.com/9nH5JqYrgl
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 4, 2020
#Minneapolis: Hundreds on a Defend the Vote march heading to Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to link with another march.
We'll be live soon. pic.twitter.com/RjXHBAafoQ
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2020
BREAKING: Minnesota State Patrol is making mass arrests of protesters who were trying to exit I-94 before being surrounded by officers https://t.co/GrS24TL2Tz
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2020
Boston, MA:
Hundreds of marchers make their way down Washington Street towards downtown Boston pic.twitter.com/jj57FxyB4T
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2020
The march is entering Copley Square, Boston right now pic.twitter.com/lNYVcXpmrt
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2020
#bostonprotest pic.twitter.com/QWFwbRQKki
— Rosie-CRF? (@rosie_martins) November 5, 2020
Chicago, IL:
“Fuck Trump, Fuck Biden too, they don’t give a fuck about you!” – I think @ChicagoCityDSA just found the chant for the lame duck session pic.twitter.com/vssxpEt3vv
— Sean Estelle? (@chitrans_plant) November 5, 2020
#chicago protests. #wgnnews #wgn #chicagonews #ChicagoProtest | #Tridence pic.twitter.com/mBhguEsj3t
— David Vega – Chicago & Jacksonville (@tridence) November 5, 2020
#Chicago pic.twitter.com/UdHgIIjnVx
— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) November 5, 2020
Philadelphia, PA:
Here in #Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/4yRGj48iaj
— Zach D Roberts (@zdroberts) November 4, 2020
Here’s a link to one of the fundraisers for tonight’s arrestees. This one is going to be split evenly between the 3 arrestees. More specific fundraisers to come.
As always, you can also donate to @BukitBF and the local NLG felony defense fund.
— Filler PGH (@PghAutonomy) November 5, 2020
Two protests marching together in solidarity on Market St in Philadelphia: one organized for Walter Wallace Jr., the other demanding every vote be counted pic.twitter.com/5TIExspPEp
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) November 4, 2020
Raleigh, NC:
One banner that protesters in downtown Raleigh are holding reads: “Whoever wins we lose,” referring to the election tonight. pic.twitter.com/IZkbIymxKK
— Praveena Somasundaram (@praveenavsoma) November 4, 2020
Protests begin in Downtown Raleigh @SpecNews1RDU pic.twitter.com/muvlTIDFgV
— Nicole O’Hara (@nicolecohara) November 4, 2020
Washington DC:
Our first report on the post-election situation in the US. Despite apocalyptic warnings, things were mostly calm, with some scuffles and a few arrests taking place. Stay tuned for more reports as the situation develops over the coming days and nights. #USElections2020 pic.twitter.com/spAYagOyhg
— submedia (@submedia) November 5, 2020
?? Activists in Washington, D.C. band together on #ElectionDay.
Groups led by #BlackLivesMatter and #ShutDownDC have planned an 8-hour event at the Black Lives Matter Plaza, one block from the White House. More @business: https://t.co/dGGS55AoVe #Elections2020 pic.twitter.com/t6FEKWtdUM
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) November 4, 2020
DC police are surrounding Long Live GoGo at 16th and K. Come down and support ASAP. Mayor Bowser, you can't mute democracy.#DeliverDemocracy #ShutDownDC #CountOnUs #LongLiveGoGo pic.twitter.com/PDYlulQVWi
— ShutDownDC (@ShutDown_DC) November 3, 2020
“So much work to be done outside of voting. We’ve been protesting for 150+ days. If Biden does win, police violence doesn’t magically just stop. It doesn’t stop Black ppl dying in the street from police”#ElectionNight at BLMPlaza pic.twitter.com/IR0boB5dTl
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) November 4, 2020
New York City, NY:
Approx. 400 activists marching through the Village protesting the system, NLG legal observers in tow.
“No more presidents,” they chant in unison. https://t.co/1yq0vpPUHY pic.twitter.com/xjJxdlWqQg
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) November 5, 2020
Police begin to mass arrest kettled group at 5th and 8th St.
Protestors, packed like sardines, are beaten and arrested while onlooking officers laugh. pic.twitter.com/TCwVzFiRed
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) November 5, 2020
Bike cops tackled and arrested people. Unclear what precipitated. At least 4-5 arrests. Unclear how many. pic.twitter.com/gSInCvHZvV
— Sydney Pereira (@sydneyp1234) November 5, 2020
Police have started assaulting people on K St. pushing them down to 15th St.
And the music continues! pic.twitter.com/ipVGnc5nJ0
— DC Youth Liberation Front (@dcylf) November 3, 2020