Angered by Trump's harsh words, hundreds rally in downtown Rochester

Several hundred anti-racism protesters, angered by President Trump's alleged demeaning language, marched through downtown Rochester Saturday and rallied at the Liberty Pole.

The rally began at 1 p.m. at the Central Church of Christ on South Plymouth Avenue and broke up at the Liberty Pole after 3 p.m.

Signs reading "Stop Racism," "Love Not Hate, "Black Lives Matter" and "End White Supremacy" were conspicuous as the group marched down East Main Street.

The gathering, under the banner "United Community Response to Donald Trump's Ongoing Hatred and Racism," was organized after the president spoke ill of immigrants of color and reportedly called African nations "s---hole countries" at a January meeting.

"We want to make a public statement against the hatred and racism of Donald Trump," Minister Clifford Florence Sr., one of the organizers, said on Saturday. "We wanted to make that public statement in the Frederick Douglass city."

The 200th anniversary of Douglass' birth was celebrated this week in Rochester with several ceremonies. The famed social crusader lived in Rochester for about 25 years.

The march, supported by more than a dozen groups, was put together under the auspices of the Central Church of Christ, where Clifford Florence is associate minister and his father, Minister Franklin Florence Sr., is senior minister.

SORR@Gannett.com