LOS ANGELES _ Thousands of people poured into the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night and shut down a freeway as they forcefully denounced President-elect Donald J. Trump
The mostly young and diverse crowd screamed, "Not my president," and "Respect all women." The band of demonstrators marched through the city before spilling onto the busy 101 Freeway near Alameda Street.
By 10:15 p.m., up to 300 people were on the freeway, drawing a massive response by the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Traffic backed up for miles, and authorities did not provide a timetable for when the freeway would reopen.
Clad in riot gear, CHP officers warned protesters that arrests were imminent and urged motorists to return to their vehicles. But some demonstrators remained, waving flags from the U.S. and Mexico and chanting, "Hands up; don't shoot."
CHP Officer Elizabeth Kravig said no arrests were reported, and that officers were trying to clear the road peacefully.
"They're trying to escort people off the freeway," Kravig said.
Earlier Wednesday, some demonstrators in front of City Hall torched a giant Trump head in effigy, which sent ashes raining. Marchers spray painted profanity-laced screeds on TV news vans and the Los Angeles Times building. Fireworks also shot off near the Los Angeles Police Department's headquarters.
Among the demonstrators' chief complaints: what they perceive as Trump's racist and misogynistic rhetoric while campaigning for the presidency.
Jose Figueroa, 25, dismissed Trump as a "racist and a rapist."
Figueroa acknowledged that Trump was chosen in a legitimate election. But he protested the Republican's rise, contending it stemmed from racism and diverged from the values of the American people.
"He won fairly," Figueroa said. "But there's a lot of violence that could come to a lot of people."
Several protesters climbed on top of bus stop awnings and traffic poles. One man waved the Mexican flag from atop a traffic light outside City Hall and hung a pig-shaped pinata adorned with Trump's signature shock of blond hair.
Up to 200 people also poured onto the northbound lanes of the 100 Freeway near 3rd Street in downtown L.A., forcing California Highway Patrol officers to bring traffic to a stop for about 15 minutes, said CHP officer Elizabeth Kravig. No southbound lanes were affected, she said.
Vishal Singh, 23, said he was shocked at Trump's upset victory and he expressed disappointment with voters who supported a man he sees as anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT.
"I expected better of my electorate," he said. "I thought this country was different."
Tina Sapsizian, 23, of Long Beach, attributed the large crowd to the belief that Hillary Clinton would rout Trump after his many stumbles toward the end of the campaign.
Trump's victory, she said, highlights the divide between big cities and the rest of the nation.
"I don't think anyone saw this coming," Sapsizian said. "We're all surprised, and we're all human."
The group was a mix of crowds that marched to City Hall from Pershing Square and Staples Center. Their signs stated, "Make America Love Again," and "Love Trumps Hate." Others said, "Wall Street Is the Enemy."
LAPD officers looked on. No arrests were reported.
The protests mirrored demonstrations that erupted across the nation on Wednesday, when crowds on college campuses and in cities rallied against Trump's upset victory over Clinton.
