Hours into Election Night, with polls closing nationwide and votes being tallied, protesters clashed outside of the White House and pockets of other unrest around the country have been reported, according to the USA Today.
Protests have been reported in Los Angeles, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Portland, Oregon.
The Washington, D.C., protest, despite a mostly peaceful atmosphere, had pockets of confrontation as the night wore on. Pushing and shoving between protesters could be seen, and police in the area sought to disperse the crowd, with smoke filling the air from an unidentified source.
Other reports of confrontation surfaced Tuesday. A man wearing a shirt supporting incumbent President Donald Trump challenged a protester to a fight in a situation that was diffused by police, according to the New York Times.
A D.C. Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said so far, one arrest had been made as of just before 10 p.m. An adult male was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, crossing a police line and resisting arrest.
In Chicago, one of the bridges near downtown’s Trump Tower had been lifted over the Chicago River—a common sight in recent months amid incidents of looting or unrest in the city. The move has been used to restrict access to downtown.
Several protests were planned in neighborhoods throughout the city for Wednesday night.
In Graham, North Carolina, where police cracked down on a peaceful demonstration, another march took place Tuesday. This one, which included hundreds, concluded without response from police, according to the Burlington Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Portland, New York Times correspondent Mike Baker reported on Twitter.
Left-leaning demonstrators planned Election Day protests for weeks.
Some protesters are already gearing up for a longer, more sustained pushback. Organizers at ShutDownDC plan for more aggressive actions as the week goes on depending on the outcome of the election, such as if President Donald Trump were to win reelection or to question the election outcome.
The protests come as observers had warned that this election may end in nationwide unrest. Earlier, various businesses had embraced for the unrest by sealing their shops.
MAH/PR