The lead-up to the 2016 presidential election has been heated to say the least. Both supporters and critics of the candidates have been vocal, and many Trump rallies have seen protests before, during and after. At one Trump event in Albuquerque on May 24, protesters burned thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.
According to KRQE, the workers for the supplier of the Trump merchandise, The Political Mint, not only saw their products burn, they felt threatened as well.
“Hundreds and hundreds of protesters around, taunting you, telling you they want to kill you,” Greg Richards, a manager for The Political Mint, told KRQE. “I’ve been doing these political things since ’92. That’s probably the scariest moment I’ve ever had.”
He added that the company lost more than $2,000 between items that were stolen and burned.
The Santa Fe New Mexican described what reporters saw at the protests:
Buttons and T-shirts adorned with Trump’s face were lit on fire and waved aloft or left to simmer into ashes on the pavement. Some demonstrators grew even more violent, throwing rocks and launching burning bottles and other debris. A thick, black smoke penetrated the air.”
Police told the protesters that the protest had become an unlawful assembly. The crowd dispersed after police in riot gear released crowd-control smoke bombs and pepper spray.
Richards told KRQE that he hopes to see protesters pay for their actions. Albuquerque police reportedly have found one female suspect who posted a video of her burning the merchandise on social media.
“I’d like to see her prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Albuquerque police told KRQE that they are sifting through videos and pictures to identify suspects.
