Last week, 20% of all demonstration events reported in the US were associated with the BLM movement. The officers reportedly began pepper spraying the marchers “suddenly and without any warning,” prompting a federal lawsuit accusing police in the state of voter intimidation ( NBC, 3 November 2020 ). At a march to a polling place in Graham, North Carolina, police intervened and pepper sprayed participants, including children and seniors, to disperse them from the roads, arresting eight people. Women, people of color, and the LGBT community also gathered at the State House in Providence, Rhode Island for the ‘Nasty Womxn Vote 2020’ rally on 25 October ( Uprise RI, 26 October 2020 ). They called for increased voter participation, particularly in the case of those who have been incarcerated ( Fox4, 26 October 2020 ). In Fort Myers, Florida, people participated in a ‘Free the Vote’ march on 25 October, organized by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Similar to the week prior, demonstrations and rallies encouraging voter participation and promoting voting rights, specifically for disenfranchised populations, were also reported last week. The pro-Trump event also allegedly featured supporters of the QAnon conspiracy movement. In Beverly Hills, California, during a 4,000-person ‘Freedom Rally’ in support of President Trump and against California Governor Gavin Newsom on 31 October, fist fights broke out between Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators ( Patch, 31 October 2020 ABC7, 1 November 2020 ). On 25 October, in New York City, Trump supporters clashed with anti-Trump protesters using pepper spray, resulting in nine arrests ( PIX11, 25 October 2020 ). While 93% of all election-related demonstrations were peaceful, violence was reported at several events. A recent study released by Stanford University estimates that Trump’s campaign rallies between June and September this year may have caused approximately 30,000 coronavirus infections and more than 700 deaths ( Politico, 31 October 2020 ). Of those rallies and demonstrations, 75% were pro-Trump events.
They included rallies and demonstrations held in support of the presidential candidates. Over 30% of all demonstrations reported last week were election-related. Meanwhile, incidents of voter intimidation and election-related violence were reported in several states, including in Kansas, Texas, and Missouri. Demonstrations over issues related to the coronavirus pandemic continued around the country, but also decreased in number. and Walter Wallace Jr., both Black men, were fatally shot in two separate incidents by police in Hazel Dell, Washington and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, respectively. Violent demonstrations were reported in Washington, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania after Kevin E. Demonstrations associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement continued, but slightly decreased in number. Rallies and demonstrations were held across the country supporting the two presidential candidates, current President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The highest number of demonstrations were related to the general election set for 3 November.
Last week in the United States, demonstration events decreased by 27% relative to the week prior.
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