ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A march through downtown Rochester ended Saturday with a rally in solidarity with Women's March protesters in Washington D.C. and across the country.
Police said about 1,000 people packed Washington Square Park after officers and state troopers, around 10:30 a.m., shut down some roads for a spell, including Interstate 490 in both directions, to safeguard people walking from the Liberty Pole to the park.
A Rochester Police Department press release later categorized the event as, "a peaceful gathering of many community action groups from the Rochester region."
Toward the end of the rally, police arrested seven people after an encounter between protesters and a cameraman trying to photograph the event.
Rally organizers hoped to get 2,000 people of all racial, ethnic, religious and sexual identities together, one day after President Donald Trump was sworn in, to send this message:
"There is no straight path for the Trump agenda that we're not going to fight every step of the way whether it be his nominees for cabinet positions or any of the policies that he'd like to push forward," said Amie Acton, a protester.
"We're not going to just stand back and take it anymore, so we're going to stand up for what our community needs and what's right for us."
Police said the seven people arrested spent the day trying to "intimidate people, cause disruption and solicit others to join their actions," leading up to the dust-up with the cameraman. Arrested were:
- Corey Smith, 31, Fairport, charged with harassment 2nd and inciting to riot
- Samantha Saversky, 26, Fairport, harassment 2nd and inciting to riot
- Elijah Kosowski, 22, Rochester, harassment 2nd and inciting to riot
- Meghesh Pansari, 21, of Brighton, inciting to riot
- Christopher Redman, 39, of Caledonia for inciting to riot
- Kyle Leonard, 24, of Webster, inciting to riot
- Angela Tona, 21, of Rochester, inciting to riot