Trump Tower Protests Take Toll On Residents, Businesses
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thousands of protesters marched from Union Square to Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue Saturday, for the fourth day of demonstrations.
Once the crowds arrived at Trump Tower in the afternoon, they spanned all the way down to West 51st Street, 1010 WINS' Darius Radzius reported.
"He lies. Everything he says is a lie. He's a big clown, he's a TV person, he's not real," protester Ed Glassing said.
"Why are these people walking around saying, 'Donald Trump is not my president' when he is president? He won, get over it," Trump supporter John Nicholson said.
Louay Youssef came down from Vermont to take part in the protest.
"I am an Egyptian-American, I am a Muslim Egyptian-American. I feel that under Donald Trump I will not be represented. I don't think he even sees me as a human being," he told WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz.
Youssef said the rallies represent a chance for people to air their grievances, but once the president-elect gets into power, the real fight starts.
"I want to do everything to stop him from dismantling the progressive system that we have been trying to create," he said.
Police warned the protesters not to cross the metal barricades protecting the "frozen zone," but two did and were immediately arrested, Radzius reported.
Otherwise, the demonstrations were peaceful.
But the blocked off streets and sidewalks are starting to take a toll on residents, shoppers and diners in the area, CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported.
"We had reservations for dinner at the Ralph Lauren Polo bar," one woman said. "Our friends are there for her birthday and we can't get there, they won't let us in."
High-end stores along the heart of Fifth Avenue, like Wempe Jewelry, have more workers than customers inside, and police lined the sidewalks instead of shoppers.
"The last few days, yeah we did suffer a little bit," Wempe Jewelry President Ruby Albers said. "In the long run, hopefully they'll find a rhythm that will allow people to have access and at the same time they can express themselves."
Similar protests were underway in cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.
