Washington, November 10 (RHC)-- Vigils and protests flared up across the United States Wednesday evening as opponents of President-elect Donald Trump expressed dismay with the election results, underscoring the difficult task he faces in uniting a fractured country.

Despite Hillary Clinton and President Obama urging their backers to accept Trump’s victory and support his transition into power, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets decrying his crude comments about women and attacks on immigrants.

Protests were reported in cities across the nation, from major metropolitan centers like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, to smaller cities, such as Richmond and Portland, Ore. Even cities in red states, such as Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Kansas City, demonstrators took to the streets.

In downtown Chicago, outside Trump Tower, rainbow flags and signs bearing messages such as “Time to Revolt” waved above the crowd, as protesters filled Michigan Avenue, cheered on by drivers who honked their support.  They then shut down Lake Shore Drive, the main expressway along Lake Michigan.

Most of the major demonstrations took place in urban centers in blue states Clinton won Tuesday — highlighting the demographic divide that shaped the election results.  The former secretary of state’s narrow victory in the popular vote spurred demonstrators in New York City to chant “She got more votes!” as thousands amassed in front of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.  The crowd stretched several blocks down Fifth Avenue.  Earlier, the protesters had marched from Union Square to Trump’s building, chanting “Donald Trump, go away! Sexist, racist, anti-gay!”
 
In Washington, DC, hundreds of mostly young protesters gathered outside the White House for a candlelight vigil before marching to the new Trump International Hotel a few blocks away on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Hundreds also marched through Philadelphia, with about 700 people heading north through Center City and blocking intersections as they made their way up Broad Street, police said.
 
The protesters in these scattered cities — some of them the same places that have seen heated demonstrations sparked by fatal police shootings in recent years — could be seen in videos streaming across on cable news and social media, lit by flashing police lights and streetlights as they wound through metropolitan streets.
 
Displays of anger and grief on the streets Wednesday indicated the depth of the rupture in the country — and the distrust with which many Americans view Trump.   “He’s going to lead us to a very dark place for women,” said Samantha Sylverne, a 19-year-old student, who marched in Chicago carrying a sign scrawled on a cardboard box that read: “Amerikkka elected a rapist.”

In Austin, students at the University of Texas led a march for hours through the city Wednesday afternoon. As hundreds of protesters wove into traffic, bus drivers high-fived the students.  Some in their vehicles got out and hugged them, tears streaming down their faces.