Post-Election Protests Continue in States Won by Clinton
As nationwide protests of President-elect Donald Trump continue, police in Portland, Oregon report that one demonstrator was shot following a confrontation.
Portland authorities said the person was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and they are now looking for the suspect.
The suspect was in a vehicle early Saturday morning when a confrontation started with someone in the protest march.
A police news release says the man got out of his vehicle and fired multiple shots injuring the person before fleeing.
Authorities said they are unsure if it was politically motivated.
Since Trump's election Tuesday, thousands around the country have taken to the streets.
So far, 185 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, another in New York and riots continue in Portland.
Police had to use tear gas in response to "burning projectiles" thrown at officers during Friday night protest in the city.
Authorities have reported other instances of vandalism and assault during a rally that was billed by organizers as a peaceful.
According to an ABC News report, these post-election protests are occurring in states that Clinton won the election.
James Campbell, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, told the news agency that protest have reached new levels that haven't been seen in years.
"The nation is highly polarized and even more than it had been in 2000. Differences are greater and, therefore, the stakes are higher, emotions run stronger, and losses felt more deeply," Campbell said.
Protests have been held in major cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Nashville. Smaller protests have broken out in Detroit, Minneapolis, Missouri, Washington and Iowa City.
Campbell explained stark differences in the election results and the voting demographic are contributing to the protest that we now see.
"Protests are much more commonplace on the left than on the right," he said.
Age has also played a significant role in the demographic of protestors.
Protest have popped up on college campuses like American University, UCLA, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, and Georgetown University.
In Tennessee, Vanderbilt University students sang civil rights songs and marched, temporarily blocking traffic.
Campbell explained for some in this age group it is their first presidential loss.
"We are so polarized that many Americans had not really come into contact with others who have opposite views. Because of this, it becomes unthinkable to those on either side that other side could win the election," Campbell explained. "This was expressed in the claims about the election being possibly rigged."
