Protests began peacefully in Public Square in Cleveland but grew chaotic as the day wore on. Various groups with differing political and religious messages gathered, including supporters of Donald Trump, protesters against police brutality, and a ministry preaching about sin. Tensions rose as protesters clashed, with arguments breaking out between Trump supporters and others. The police eventually blocked off the square and separated clashing protest groups to prevent further conflicts.

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Protests at Public Square begin
peacefully before groups began
to clash
POSTED: 11:41 PM, Jul 19, 2016
UPDATED: 22 mins ago
Protests in Public Square began relatively calm on Tuesday as demonstrators marched near
the Republican National Convention in downtown.
The Jesus Preacher Ministry was the first group to attract a sizeable crowd. The members
held tall signs with messages such as, “Jesus is angry with you sinners,” in large, bold letters.
An elderly man with long hair stood before them tossing flowers in quiet protest. A young
girl watched with curiosity.
“I work downtown, I’m just here on my lunch break,” she said, “I think they’ve just been
saying everything is horrible and everyone is going to hell.”
The Jesus Preacher Ministry used the crowds around the square to spread their religious
message, while others used it for political rhetoric.
“No religious tests, no mass round-ups, not to all of those things!” shouted independent
protester Micah Naziri, wearing an AR-15 gun across his chest.
A small group swarmed around him. He shouted he was protesting against Donald Trump
and his fascist policies.
“I’m not trying to say all this NRA garbage,” Naziri explained to the group.
His message was mixed. He claimed Trump wanted to institute fascism and was against
militarization of the police.

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“Badges don’t grant extra rights!” he shouted.
Onlookers stared with curiosity, some with outrage but among the crowd no cops were
present.
Jay Westerhold came to engage Naziri in an argument, but gave up and walked off to sit on a
bench. Westerhold is against open-carry laws being upheld at the convention.
“There is no reason to bring a weapon to any even where there is hundreds of thousands of
people,” he said, gesturing towards Naziri, “I think it’s disgusting and I told him so.”
The sweltering heat didn’t keep people from slowly flooding into Public Square. The crowd
was diverse, many just curious to watch the show. Protest groups popped up in different
areas using different strategies to get their message across.
Difference in opinions led to clashes among many groups. A couple stood observing a
shouting match between a Trump supporter and an elderly black man.
“Fanatics, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Cleveland native, Richard Kaplan.
The Square swelled into chaos as the day wore on. An "anarchist" protest group clashed with
the The Jesus Preacher Ministry. The police quickly intervened.
Protesters against police brutality popped up on the opposite side of the square.
Law enforcement blocked off the square and formed a barrier around each protest group.
“It looks like they are keeping the little factions from getting close to each other,” said Aida
Kedena, a visitor from Texas, “It was a lot more jovial earlier.”
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