With Donald Trump in town, Anaheim cops prep for protests

ANAHEIM — Thousands of supporters are filing into the Anaheim Convention Center and a few dozen protestors are gathering outside, on Katella Ave., in advance of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s noon speech in Anaheim.

With Trump in town less than 24 hours after anti-Trump riots broke out in Albuquerque, N.M., Anaheim police officials said they are preparing to keep all local protests as peaceful as possible.

“While we recognize and respect the First Amendment rights of all individuals to express their viewpoints and protest peacefully, we will not tolerate violence or disobedience of the law during the upcoming rally in Anaheim.” said Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada in a statement released early Wednesday.

“Everyone has the right to participate without fear of violence or disorder, and we are prepared to take swift and decisive enforcement action should it become necessary.”

Police say they don’t want demonstrations to block sidewalks or interfere with vehicles and pedestrian traffic in neighborhoods around the Convention Center.

The Anaheim event comes a day after protestors outside a Trump rally at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico toppled trash cans and barricades, bued T-shirts and tossed plastic bottles and other items at police officers, injuring several.

Police in New Mexico responded by firing pepper spray and smoke grenades into the crowd outside. During the rally, Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, who shouted, held up baers and resisted removal by security officers.

The baers carried messages that included: “Trump is Fascist” and “We’ve heard enough.”

Trump lashed back at the protesters, tweeting Wednesday: “The protesters in New Mexico were thugs who were flying the Mexican flag. The rally inside was big and beautiful, but outside, criminals!”

Trump’s previous Orange County stop in April also tued ugly. Following Trump’s speech, large groups of people flooded into the streets around the OC Fairgrounds, harassed motorists and smashed a police cruiser’s windshield.

Two days prior at an anti-Trump rally outside of Anaheim City Hall, one demonstrator pepper sprayed supporters as the City Council considered a resolution to condemn the candidate for some of his remarks against minorities.

There were no significant issues during Democratic candidate Beie Sanders’ two appearances in Orange County this week, while Hillary Clinton was expected to appear in Buena Park at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

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The latest Orange County swing for Trump also comes as he has been sparring bitterly with a Massachusetts U.S, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the only Democratic woman in the Senate who has not endorsed Clinton but has recently become more aggressive in taking on Trump on his favorite medium, Twitter.

In a speech at the Center for Popular Democracy’s aual gala in Washington, Warren on Tuesday characterized Trump as “drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown - because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap. What kind of a man does that? Root for people to get thrown out on the street? Root for people to lose their jobs? Root for people to lose their pensions?”

Warren enjoys strong support with many of the Democratic constituencies passionate about Sanders. An aide said she takes seriously her potential role in helping to bring those constituencies together and focus the party’s energy on defeating Trump.

“Donald Trump is worried about helping poor little Wall Street?” Warren asked. “Let me find the world’s smallest violin to play a sad, sad song.”

At the New Mexico rally, Trump referred to Warren as “Pocahontas,” accusing her of saying that she was Native American because “her cheekbones were high.”

“She is probably the senator that’s doing just about the least in the United States Senate,” he said of Warren. “She’s a total failure.”

The Associated Press and the Washington Post contributed to this story.