Several groups showed up to protest at the 2016 Republican National Convention held in Cleveland this week.
CLEVELAND — It’s a scene so chaotic that at some points it’s difficult to guess which person is protesting what cause.
Some are more obvious: many protesters from better-known groups such as Black Lives Matter and Code Pink are peacefully assembling outside the perimeter of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Others hold signs emblazoned with sayings like, “The Pope is an Anarchist” and “Free Hugs.”
A man dressed in casual clothing screamed “liar” at an MSNBC anchor during a live broadcast. When asked by Watchdog.org why he was so angry, he exclaimed, “Don’t you know that MSNBC lies to you?”
Actor and rapper Nick Cannon led a Black Lives Matter protest outside the convention Monday. He said black people feel unsafe and disrespected living in their own communities because of the way police monitor their neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, the day Donald Trump received the nod as the GOP nominee for president, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans repeatedly attempted to hold up a sign that read “No Racism. No Hatred.” Several people attempted to rip the sign from her hands and to cover her face and the sign with American flags during a Ben Carson speech.
Chelsea Byers, 26, of Los Angeles protested on behalf of Code Pink on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.
Chelsea Byers, 26, of Los Angeles, went shirtless, but definitely not braless, on Tuesday with several extra bras draped from her arm. She carried a pink sign shaped like a woman’s silhouette that read “BUST UP THE MILITARY BUDGET.”
Byers protested Tuesday on behalf of Code Pink, a group that aims to end war and U.S. militarization, and said she didn’t want to miss this historic event.
Byers says she is not a Trump supporter because his demeanor makes her nervous about how he will handle foreign and domestic policy.
“He’s espoused a hateful rhetoric, which will lead to violence,” said Byers, who has been protesting with Code Pink for five years. About 20 members of the group took shifts marching in different locations near Quicken Loans Arena.
“We have more money in the U.S. military than we’ve ever spent before, but what we do know is education spending keeps getting cut, public health is less of a concern,” said Byers. “It’s a matter of resources. We are setting our national priorities.”