March 12--Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump canceled his Friday night rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion, citing security concerns as thousands of protesters gathered outside and mixed with supporters inside.
Trump, speaking to MSNBC, said he thought it was a better idea to call off the rally than to "let people mix it up."
"I didn't want to see anybody get hurt," said Trump, who insisted he could have held the rally. "I think we made the right move."
Trump said he "can't even have a rally in a major city anymore," while suggesting the images from the protest broadcast nationally could lead to higher voter turnout Tuesday, when Illinois, Florida and Ohio have primary elections.
The candidate's shift in tone was a change from an earlier rally Friday in St. Louis, when Trump continued to taunt those who interrupt his events while promising that police and security would be "gentle" as they removed them.
"They're allowed to get up and interrupt us horribly and we have to be very, very gentle," Trump said in response to one of nearly a dozen interruptions as he spoke in St. Louis at the regal Peabody Opera House. "They can swing and hit people, but if we hit them back it's a terrible, terrible thing, right?"
In Chicago, more than 30 minutes after the event was scheduled to begin, a voice came over the sound system informing the thousands in attendance that the event had been postponed due to "security concerns." Trump's campaign later released a statement saying the event had been canceled "for the safety of all."
Protesters inside the arena cheered. "We stopped Trump," they chanted.
Officials moved to empty the arena with an announcement of "please exit the building" over the public-address system. Thousands of Trump backers and protesters filed out, joining the thousands of protesters outside. There were some clashes and pushing, images captured by cable news networks.
Outside the arena, scattered clashes broke out between Trump backers and demonstrators. At about 7 p.m., demonstrators briefly clashed with police at Racine and Van Buren.
At one point, demonstrators briefly blocked the Eisenhower Expy. Police dispersed them, but later protesters began blocking the expressway's westbound ramp.
Some Trump backers were forced to move through a gauntlet of protesters, many of whom were shouting at them, calling them "bigots" and singing "Sha-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, hey, goodbye."
A group of supporters and demonstrators nearly exchanged blows. Amid the chaotic scene, some demonstrators peddled T-shirts reading "Donald (Expletive) Trump." One little girl sported an anti-Trump sign with a pun: "We shall overcomb."
As the crowds dispersed, hundreds of protesters stood in the median along Harrison Street chanting "Muslim lives matter!"
They held up signs, including a few that depicted Trump as if he was dressed in the white sheets of the Ku Klux Klan. Those same signs had scrawled on them "Mein Trumpf" -- a play on comparisons some have made to Adolf Hitler.
More than a dozen Chicago police officers on bicycles tried to block the crowd from occupying Harrison.
A large cluster of protesters also moved toward a nearby parking deck, blocking numerous cars from leaving at the Harrison exit.
Protesters started booing and jeering motorists as they started to exit the parking garage. "Go back to the suburbs!" one protester shouted.
More than a dozen police officers on horseback wearing leather coats and sky-blue helmets formed a line to prevent some of the protesters from disrupting the traffic along Harrison as the cars drove away.
A helicopter buzzed overhead.
"Where's Donald Trump?!" one protester shouted angrily.
Throughout his St. Louis speech, Trump was deeply critical of the protesters, all of whom appeared to leave the venue largely without incident. Police later said 31 people were arrested and charged with general peace disturbance, and one person was charged outside the venue with third-degree assault.
The presidential candidate panned the protesters as weak "troublemakers," ordered them to "go home to mommy" or "go home and get a job" because "they contribute nothing."
"These are not good people, just so you understand," Trump said. "These are not the people who made our country great. These are the people that are destroying our country."
In Chicago, doors opened at 3 p.m. for the event that had been scheduled to begin three hours later. As the arena filled, hundreds of young people, many of whom appeared to be students, filled sections toward the back.
About 5:30 p.m. when two protesters were removed by security personnel, the size of the protest contingent became clear when they loudly chanted "Let them stay!" Trump's supporters responded by chanting "USA! USA!"
The group continued to get louder, some tearing Trump banners in half as a group of five police officers began to remove some protesters one by one. Police appeared to handcuff one man before taking him out of the arena.
Shortly after, protesters emerged in a loud "f--- Trump," including one woman who shouted while holding a sign that read "No Hate." Trump supporters in the balcony threw debris at her.
After a few more protesters had been removed, tensions eased some as Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" played on loop and demonstrators and Trump backers waited for the candidate to arrive.
Then came the unexpected announcement that the event had been canceled.
Hundreds of anti-Trump demonstrators erupted in celebration while the GOP front-runner's supporters stood in stunned silence. Many of them quietly held signs that read "The silent majority is for Trump" while protesters wildly chanted "we stopped Trump!" over and over.
A few "we want Trump" chants from his supporters quickly sputtered out as the demonstrators waved campaign signs for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and chanted "Bernie! Bernie!"
The crowd celebrated for about 20 minutes as Trump supporters filed out first. The anti-Trump crowd chanted "Si se puede!" which is Spanish for President Barack Obama's campaign slogan "Yes, we can." They also shouted another chant directed at Trump: "No more hate!"
As of 6:50 p.m., there had been no arrests or injuries, said Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Interim Superintendent John Escalante was on the scene. The Police Department was notified by university officials that the event would be shut down.
Leading up to the canceled rally, the crowd of protesters grew and police officers, including one on horseback, expanded the area to accommodate their larger numbers.
Aimee Bass, a 49-year-old music teacher from the Edgewater neighborhood, said she came out to voice her opposition to Trump.
He had every right to be a businessman, she said, but "he's so unqualified to run for president."
Nineteen-year-old Radia Mchabcheb said she came from Villa Park to stand against Trump. "There's no support for hateful kinds of speech, especially from presidential candidates," she said.
Protesters chanted "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go."
A few Trump backers lashed back at demonstrators, shouting, "Build the wall!" a reference to Trump's pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border -- and have Mexico pay for it.
While emotions ran high, a phalanx of Chicago police officers worked to keep Trump's fans and foes on opposite sides of Harrison Street.
Thousands turned out to see Trump, while outside the pavilion thousands of demonstrators had gathered.
Diane Szafranski, a 48-year-old homemaker from Cary, brought her daughter, Caitlin, 10, to see Trump. She said she had no problem with Trump's past controversial statements.
"He's not politically correct," Szafranski said. "He's not taking any crap from anybody, which I love.
"He's self-funding," Szafranski said. "He's not relying on the lobbyists. He's not going to owe anybody."
"I love him, he's awesome," Szafranski's daughter said. "He wants to get rid of ISIS (the Islamic State), he wants to build a wall to help our country."
One Trump backer, Jeff Black, handed out anti-Hillary Clinton buttons reading "Hillary for prison." Black, who lives in Summit, said he brought 200 of them to distribute.
Trump's visit before Tuesday's presidential primary in Illinois raised concerns on campus, with dozens of UIC faculty and staff signing a petition begun by a student leader asking how security would be handled and who would pay for it. More than 40,000 people signed it.
A 24-hour vigil leading up to Trump's campaign stop and organized by Latino community leaders began late Thursday.
Chicagoan and paramedic Deirdre Fennessy held up a sign with a swastika that replaced the "U" in the Republican presidential front-runner's name.
"Chicagoans don't want him here," Fennessy said.
"We're not paying attention to them," said a Trump supporter from Villa Park who gave his name as Tony and said he immigrated from Italy 40 years ago. He praised the hotel magnate's "management skills."
Most people who turned out for Trump were white. Farice Campbell, a 21-year-old African-American man from Chicago, said he came out of curiosity, and to see Trump supporters up close.
"We came to see in real life how this all plays out, and the reasons to support Trump," Campbell said.
With him was 18-year-old Portia Torrens, of Oswego, who is also black.
"This is a huge part of history," she said. "It's good to be a part of it."
Tribune reporters Rick Pearson, Annie Sweeney, Jeremy Gorner, Matt McCall and The Associated Press contributed.
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