Donald Trump's Chicago rally Friday night was canceled as large crowds of protesters amassed inside and outside the venue, leading organizers to fear for the safety of those gathered.
Five arrests were made and two police officers were injured, interim Chicago Police Superintendent John Escalante said during a press conference Saturday night. Of those five arrests, two each were made by the Chicago Police Department and University of Illinois police, and one arrest was made by Illinois State Police. One of the individuals arrested was a journalist.
Initially, the university's police was responsible for security inside the event -- held at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavillon -- while the city and state's jurisdiction was outside the event. But Escalante said "University police requested additional police because several scuffles broke out inside the pavilion." He said 100 additional officers were dispatched.
Escalante also said that two officer were injured, but said the injuries were not life-threatening. "One [of the officers] was struck on the head by a bottle...and required several stiches," he said.
Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Associated Press that the department never told the Trump campaign there was a security threat at the University of Illinois at Chicago venue.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel released a statement Saturday night: “For all of us who cherish the ideals upon which our country was founded, the hateful, divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against each other demeans our democratic values and diminishes our democratic process. I want to thank the men and women of the Chicago Police Department for their hard work tonight in unexpected circumstances, and their continued commitment to protecting people’s first amendment rights.”Tensions were high the moment doors opened to the UIC Pavilion, and people were escorted out of the arena as early as an hour before Trump was set to speak."
Mr. Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of all the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight’s rally will be postponed until another date," the announcement said. "Thank you very much for you attendance and please go in peace."
Following the announcement, that's when the crowd got rowdy. Some of the crowd erupted into cheering. Some in the crowd began chanting, “We want Trump! We want Trump!”A Trump supporter began shouting towards the media, “This is the media’s fault. I promise you that. You bashing on Trump.”At one point, a man jumped on stage, but was quickly pulled down by officers.
Announcements were made several times to force people out of the rally.
It took about 30 minutes for police to clear the building as hundreds more protesters stood by outside.
Following the melee, Trump said on MSNBC that he thinks he made the right decision in canceling the rally because he didn't "want to see people hurt or worse." "We have a country that is so divided, that maybe you don't even understand," Trump continued. "I've never seen anything like it."During an interview with Fox News, Trump blamed the anger on economics and said that his First Amendment rights were not upheld.
Trump also said in interviews with MSNBC, Fox News and CNN that he talked to law enforcement before making his decision. A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department, according to ABC News station WLS, said the agency did not talk to the Trump campaign beforehand and did not advise them to cancel the event. The department said it was not notified until 6:30 when it heard from the UIC and Secret Service.
The incident comes as Trump has been dealing with criticism over the tenor of his rallies and past comments appearing to encourage violence against protesters, although he said at a recent GOP debate that he did not condone violence. Trump has been dealing with a number of interruptions from protesters nearly every day. More recently at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, an attendee, John Franklin McGraw, allegedly puncture protester who was being escorted out. Trump's earlier campaign rally today in St. Louis, Missouri was interrupted several times and marked by clashes outside between Trump supporters and protesters. One arrest was made.
While the crowds waited for Trump, an announcement was made instructing the crowd on what to do if a protest breaks out."Mr. Trump will continue his lifelong defense of the right of free speech in America. As a matter of fact he supports the First Amendment just as much as he supports the second Amendment. However some people have taken advantage of Mr. Trump's hospitality by choosing to disrupt his rallies by using them as an opportunity to promote their own political messages. While they certainly have the right to free speech this is private event paid for by Mr. Trump," the announcement said."If a protester started demonstrating in the area around you please do not touch or harm the protester. This is a peaceful rally. In order to notify the law enforcement officers of the location of the protesters please hold a rally sign over your head and start chanting "Trump.'"
Among the presidential candidates to react to the rally's violence, was Democrat Hillary Clinton, who released this statement:
“The divisive rhetoric we are seeing should be of grave concern to us all. We all have our differences, and we know many people across the country feel angry. We need to address that anger together. All of us, no matter what party we belong to or what views we hold, should not only say loudly and clearly that violence has no place in our politics, we should use our words and deeds to bring Americans together."
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