I saw the first posts on my Facebook page a little after 4:00 PM yesterday. A minute later it occurred to me, as it is the obvious conclusion - they were bussed in from Boston, where similar protests have been going on since Wednesday night.
It was an easy call - I'm pretty sure this has never happened in Manchester before; there's no history of then protesting jack squat. Naturally this angle is ignored by the press (it's the Concord Monitor - think of them as the little Boston Globe). If I were living there, I'd have looked for the buses, probably off of Canal Street, which runs parallel to Elm Street but a few blocks away, and they can come in from the Amoskeag Bridge exit and get there within 3 or 4 blocks and not attract too much attention. I'd have checked their tires for the correct air pressure, just to make sure they'd have a safe trip home...
As the sun began to set along Elm Street in Manchester Saturday, the sidewalk outside city hall filled, as men, women and children carried signs in protest of president elect Donald Trump.
The crowd chanted "Love Trumps Hate" and "Not My President" among other slogans as cars drove by and honked. Just across the street were several men, one holding a "Don’t Tread On Me" flag in support of Trump.
Both sides remained relatively peaceful, though Manchester Police officers did approach one Trump supporter. They asked Manchester resident John Camden to tone it down after his yelling escalated, at one point him telling those across the street to "come and get me." |