The delay fueled the fire that smoldered for hours between the groups.
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They were separated by yellow police tape, but by 11 a.m., police officers from West Chester and the Ohio State Highway Patrol stood between the two groups, making sure the shouts didn’t lead to violence.
Two protesters were escorted out of Trump’s town hall. Trump said the man and woman, who were holding Bernie Sanders signs, wasted two good tickets and said “you have to wonder what they’re thinking.”
At least three other men standing near the protesters outside were seen carrying guns and they were questioned by police officers. One of them, a man from Cleveland, said the police “had to play by the rules” because he knew his rights to legally carry a gun in Ohio.
Most of the hand-written signs held by the protesters and obscenities between the groups dealt with racism, immigration and terrorism, three topics that have followed Trump throughout the campaign.
More than 1,600 people packed the Savannah Center to get a glimpse of Trump, while hundreds more — some whom stood in the rain for hours — were disappointed when they were turned away at the door because too many tickets were issued. There were about 500 protesters, police estimated.
As one of the lead protesters grabbed a bullhorn, and led the vocal group into anti-Trump chants —“No Trump No KKK,” “Build bridges not walls,” and “Trump is Hitler” — those standing about 50 yards away, near the front door, set off their car alarms, trying to drown out the protesters.
Several of the protesters said they live outside of Ohio, but when they heard Trump was speaking in the state, they wanted to voice their displeasure.
Michelle Novak, a Middletown school board member, was one of the organizers of the protest. She said the goal of the protest was to speak their opinions and promote peace and love, and “that’s not his message at all,” she said of Trump.
“I feel like he’s trying to use scapegoats, the weakest people in our community,” she said. “Putting the spotlight on them and telling people they’re the problem.”
Novak, an American Muslim and first-year board member, said Trump never addresses issues or presents fresh ideas.
She said social issues have been “brought to the surface” throughout Trump’s campaign. Now, she said, it’s the country’s responsibility to fix the problems or leave them for the next generation.
“We knew it and now the whole world knows it,” she said.
The protesters were vocal and many of them held signs:
“I’m Mexican. I’m not a criminal.”
“Immigration is the backbone of our country.”
“Immigrants are people. Not problems.”
Two women got into a lengthy, heated argument about Trump’s sometimes controversial political stances. One woman insisted that Trump was “the next Hitler.” Throughout the exchange, several spectators recorded with their cell phones while police officers watched.
Hundreds of people, those there to support Trump, gathered near the protesters and the groups exchanged insults.
There were lighter moments, too.
Tim Stevens of Dayton showed up in the parking lot carrying a folding table. He was a Trump impersonator and he told the crowd that his wife, a Mexican, was carrying the hats he was selling. He sold three large boxes of Trump hats for $5, then posed for pictures.
Stevens said he started doing lookalike fundraisers a few weeks ago. “I have a lot of fun doing this,” he said.
Two women from Kentucky were some of the first in line to see Trump. They arrived at 1 a.m., or 13 hours before the town hall was scheduled to start.
Karen Richardson, 64, said she believes Trump is the candidate “who’s going to make changes.”
She said some people think Trump supporters are angry.
“We are angry. We are hurt,” she said. “Our country is gone. I want it back. We deserve it back. Trump will take care of us; love us and take care of our children like his own.”
Wendy Richardson, 40, added: “He’s the only guy who can fix the mess.”
Ann Agee and her daughter, Mary Catherine, of Cincinnati, also were near the front of the line. Mary Catherine, 12, a sixth-grader, talked her mother into taking her to see Trump.
The little girl said she hoped Trump would make sure “everybody was alright and we won’t get hurt (by terrorist).”
Agee said Trump was the obvious choice for her because they share the same “high values,” she said. A former teacher, Agee said she’s against Common Core and wants the country’s borders protected.
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