Plans to protest the Trump rally were launched a week in advance by a variety of community and student groups who largely organized via social media.

[6] That same day, Latino leaders in the city, led by Democratic U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, issued a call to their constituents to join them in a protest outside the UIC Pavilion, where the rally was to take place.

[7] One of many student-based protests was first proposed by 20-year-old Chicago political activist and Bernie Sanders supporter Ja'Mal Green, who had posted to Facebook a week urging others to "get your tickets to this.

"[8] Green told reporters that the plan was for protestors to make noise when Trump appeared, "and then rush the stage.

[8][11] Among those who took part in organizing the protest included members of the UIC faculty, People for Bernie, the Fearless Undocumented Alliance, Black Lives Matter, Assata's Daughters, BYP100, College Students for Bernie, and Showing Up for Racial Justice, with "black, Latino and Muslim young people" at the "core" of the crowds of protesters.

[23][24] John Escalante, the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), said about 300 officers were on hand for crowd control.

"[19] Trump initially claimed he had conferred with Chicago Police but later said that he made the decision himself: "I didn't want to see people get hurt [so] I decided to postpone the rally.

Sanders blamed Trump for propagating "birther" conspiracy theories and for promoting "hatred and division against Latinos, Muslims, women and people with disabilities".

"[35] John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, issued a statement saying, "Tonight, the seeds of division that Donald Trump has been sowing this whole campaign finally bore fruit, and it was ugly.

[36] Clinton, one of two Democratic presidential candidates in the 2016 election, said in a statement that the Trump campaign's "divisive rhetoric" was of "grave concern" and said, "We all have our differences, and we know many people across the country feel angry.

"[37] The morning after the incident, Clinton said, "The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong, and it's dangerous.

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro characterized the protesters as "abject anarchists" who had infringed upon Trump's right to free speech by "responding to activist calls at No.