BURLINGAME, CA- Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday afternoon in the San Francisco Bay Area to voice their opposition-- and at times disdain-- for republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
With signs of "Trump Not Welcome," "Capitalism Kills," and "Bay Area Won't Be Trumped," those in attendance swarmed the hotel where the candidate was scheduled to speak at the California Republican convention.
As of about 9:30 a.m., an estimated 50 and 100 protesters were blocking a lane of traffic outside the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport at 1333 Old Bayshore Highway in Burlingame in anticipation of Trump's speech. By 11 a.m., that estimate had grown to 200 and the entire roadway was blocked.
The mood outside the hotel started mostly peacefully Friday, but chants grew louder and tension was building as the time passed.
"We're here today because we feel like Donald Trump has misused his media and political platform to spread hate and violence and we won't stand for that here in the Bay," Deidre Smith of the Blackout Collective told Bay City News Service. "Communities of color need our vote to be respected and we need our basic humanity to be honored."
Their efforts did not stop Trump from making his scheduled speech, even if he did arrive about 30 minutes late.
"That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," he joked while starting his speech just before 1 p.m. "We went under a fence, and through a fence... oh boy, it felt like I was crossing the border, actually."
As he arrived at the hotel hosting the convention, Trump was seen being escorted inside around 12:10 p.m. Just prior to that, protesters were spotted breaking through lines at the hotel.
Trump spoke for about 25 minutes. Afterwards, the crowd of protesters remained in place, and reportedly even burned an American flag outside.
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More than 10,000 people replied on Facebook that they were either interested or planning on attending protests against him.
As the controversial real estate mogul closes in on securing the party's nomination for president his rallies have drawn protests nationwide, including at a rally in Orange County Thursday night.
The California Republican Party announced earlier this month that Trump has been selected to give the keynote speech at the CAGOP 2016 Convention Kickoff Lunch Banquet on Friday, April 29.
The other two contenders in the race for the Republican bid, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, will also give speeches during the convention.
– Bay City News Service contributed to this report. PHOTOS BY SARA GAISER.
