Democrats, activists urge protesters at Trump rally to be peaceful

Puente Arizona, a migrant-rights organization, is hoping thousands show up to protest President Donald Trump's visit to Phoenix on Tuesday. The chairman of Black Lives Matter in Phoenix is sitting it out after the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Democrats, meanwhile, aren't calling for a show of numbers against the president, nor are they asking people to skip the event. They have asked for peaceful protests and plan to hand out water to those who do show up.

Trump's campaign rally comes at a time of angst and anger, causing his opponents to consider how best to respond to the visit. At the same time, his supporters are expected to again pack the Phoenix Convention Center, but it is unclear how many will engage with protesters outside the building or elsewhere.

A potentially combustible mix could accompany Trump's rally, his first major public address since his erratic statements on the slaying of a Charlottesville woman allegedly killed by a white supremacist.

EDITORIAL: Trump's Phoenix rally will test him — and us

The state has been a reliable and supportive backdrop for Trump, but both its senators have angered Trump in recent weeks. The president is "seriously considering" a pardon for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court earlier this month. And Trump's agenda, from a border wall paid for by Mexico to upending the health-care changes instituted by former President Barack Obama, have floundered.

Groups like the Arizona Anti-Defamation League and Indivisible of Surprise are planning to rallies coinciding with Trump's arrival. Others, such as Bikers for Trump and the Maricopa County Young Republicans, are planning to show support for the president.

"By coming here in a time of national crisis and a national time of where people stand, (Trump) is doubling down on his bigotry, continuing to race-bait and speak to his base," said Carlos Garcia, executive director of Puente Arizona.

He called for Republicans to speak out against Trump and hoped his group would produce numbers similar to the throng that showed up in Boston on Sunday.

Jess O'Connell, CEO of the Democratic National Committee, spoke powerfully against Trump on Monday, but didn't call on people to do anything but be peaceful.

"Donald Trump has decided to come to Arizona not to help heal our nation, but to stoke fears and further divide us," she said.

Democrats, O'Connell said, are not urging people to show up or skip the rally.

"I think it's important that we hold to the tenets of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr. Let's be purposeful, peaceful and nonviolent," said U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.

TALKING POLITICS: Listen to our Arizona politics podcast, The Gaggle, on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher or Google Play.

Republic staff writer Alden Woods contributed to this report.

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