Post-election protests against Donald Trump continue in Tempe

Traffic was temporarily halted Friday night in Tempe as post-election demonstrators marched on Mill Avenue.

Student-led groups and self-described anarchists hit the streets in separate protests against President-elect Donald Trump.

About 100 people participated in the first demonstration, which began Friday evening outside Old Main on Arizona State University's Tempe campus. The second, made up of 30 to 40 people, mostly focused on the busy entertainment corridor in downtown Tempe.

The protests were part of a nationwide wave of action by groups who disagree with Trump's policies.

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"The election took many people by surprise," said Sam, an ASU junior who attended both protests.

The Anarchist-led crowd walked down Mill Avenue toward Tempe Beach Park, blocking traffic and chanting along the way. After about 15 minutes, several Tempe police officers on bicycles arrived and told the group to leave the roadway or face arrest. After a minute or two of confrontation, the group moved to the sidewalk and kept marching down the street.

Shortly after, the group began chanting anti-police slogans while Tempe bicycle police escorted the group down Mill.

The procession was met with an equal number of cheers and jeers as bar and restaurant patrons photographed the bandanna-wearing protesters. Eventually the group ended where they started, and members of the group mingled and shared their political ideology with each other.

One piece of literature handed out by activists was a list of names and addresses of Arizona electoral voters. The piece of paper urged readers to share "heartfelt concerns" and not use the information for "aggression" or "unpleasantness."

"You can't make America great again. You can only make America greater than it had been," said one demonstrator from Tucson who would only identify himself as Chris. He, along with others, stated they marched Friday night due to a sense of fear.

This sentiment was echoed by Dorian Vrenden, who said she doesn't "feel safe in the streets" as a transgender person, adding that many in the community feel "hurt and afraid."

More protests are planned for Saturday in Phoenix and Tempe.