On Thursday night, violence erupted at a Donald Trump rally in San Jose as anti-Trump protestors began throwing eggs and punches at Trump supporters. About a dozen people were punched, and at least four people were taken into police custody. A police officer was assaulted in the protests.
At one point, a group swarmed into the driveway of the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the convention center where a crowd surrounded and trapped a woman who was wearing a Trump shirt. She responded by making gestures back at them. Then someone from the crowd threw raw eggs, hitting her in the head. Hotel staff at first blocked the door to the hotel, refusing to let anyone in, but later allowed the woman to enter the lobby.
Police in riot gear moved in and pushed the crowd back onto the street, at times breaking into confrontations with some protestors.
A short time later, another incident around the corner led to one Trump supporter being knocked to the ground in a confrontation with a protestor. Some people on both sides tried to intervene and keep the tensions from escalating. The Trump supporter said the clash was over his Trump hat.
"He just walked past me and grabbed my hat. I just chased after him to get the hat back and right afterwards, I grabbed my and he threw a right hook right here by my ear," said Nathan Velasquez of San Jose. "I just said get back here. That's all I ever said to him."
"I find it rather ironic that someone who's Mexican getting jumped for supporting Trump," Velasquez said apparently referring to himself.
Curiously, the mayor of San Jose, a Democrat who supports Hillary Clinton, decided that the violence was actually the fault of Trump supporters and Donald Trump himself--rather than, of course, the people actually throwing punches. In the mayor's view, it was "irresponsible" for the campaign to host a rally in a major city.
"At some point Donald Trump needs to take responsibility for the irresponsible behavior of his campaign," Liccardo said.
...that's just downright Orwellian. Like it or not, Trump is the presumptive nominee for president for a major political party in the United States. His continued existence does not justify violence. It is not irresponsible to campaign in a major city ahead of an election. The only people responsible for violence are the people who actually commit the acts.
