At least two people were arrested at an anti-Trump protest Thursday outside the Republican midterm convention after allegedly assaulting a counter-protester and blocking a road, Dallas police said.
The two people have not yet been booked into jail, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
The protest, which had over 100 people, started at Pike Park and made its way near McKinnon and Payne streets when the arrest occurred.
The two people arrested were seen yelling and engaging with two religious counter-protesters before police rushed and arrested them.
A counter-protester, Rives Grogan, told KERA near the start of the march he called 9-11 twice because someone allegedly assaulted him.
“Dallas police is a no-show,” Grogan said. “So violence could escalate, especially against me.”
Another religious counter-protester began disrupting at the park by calling attendees slurs over a megaphone.
The protest was largely peaceful outside the two arrests.
Attendees marched about two blocks from the American Airlines Center where the second and final day of the Republican midterm convention was getting underway.
Protesters couldn’t actually get directly outside the arena due to the tight security perimeter.
Alan Northcutt, a retired pathologist, said he came from Waco, where he’s been protesting President Donald Trump every Sunday for 18 months.
“We wanted to bring that protest right here to Trump's face, saying we oppose what he's doing,” Northcutt said. “He's devastating the country in every way you can think of, from the climate to wars to taxes and tariffs and the corruption.”
He said he wants to see Democrats investigate Trump if they win a majority in Congress after this November’s midterm elections.
“We're going to lose a democracy based on rule-of-law if we allow them to get away with what they've done the last almost two years,” Northcutt said.
EJ Carrion, a Fort Worth activist who was arrested last month for using profanity at a Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting, said Republicans choosing Dallas shows the importance of Texas.
“I think it’s just an exciting time,” Carrion said. “The power of this area is the epicenter of change for this country.”
Dylan Duke is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan at dduke@kera.org.
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