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'Stop the count' vs 'Count every vote' protests: Trump supporters branded ‘wild pack of animals’ in Detroit

Trump supporters banged on the windows of the absentee ballot counting center and screamed 'stop the count' as anxious security guards refused any more poll watchers entry to the counting room

A group of Trump supporters shouting “stop the count” and “stop the vote” gathered on November 4 at a Detroit convention center where Michigan votes continued to be counted. The demonstration comes on the same day after Donald Trump’s campaign filed a lawsuit in the state of Michigan and Pennsylvania, key battleground states, to stop the vote-counting process.

Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden overtook Trump in Michigan on Wednesday, November 4, morning as Detroit and suburban areas started reporting their totals.

Enraged Trump protestors say 'stop the count'

Michigan is being seen as one of the key states where the White House may well be won or lost. After predictions of Biden sweeping the state of Michigan in polls, videos have been splashing on social media that reveal angry Trump supporters seeking an entry into vote-counting rooms. They chanted “stop the count” in the chorus as they were being filmed outside the gates of the TCF Centre.

Many videos depict a lot of commotion at the building where some infuriated “stop the count” chanters even banged at the window. A user wrote, posting videos, “Trump loyalists try to disrupt and enter the absentee ballot counting center in Detroit.” Daily Mail reported most of them were MAGA mobs.

According to Daily Mail, enraged Trump fans banged on the windows of the absentee ballot counting center as anxious security guards refused any more poll watchers entry to the counting room. On the other front, Democratic counter-protesters also showed up. They were waving “count every vote” banners and stressing every vote in the state be tallied in contrast to Trump supporters. 

The TCF Center in downtown Detroit boarded up its windows and shuttered its doors as hundreds of poll watchers descended on the building while votes were being tallied. One of the videos showed protestors having a fraught face off with the police guard. Some people in the video outside the vote counting room suggest that people inside the room are not wearing masks. “Pizza boxes are pushed against the window to obstruct the view. It’s tense” a user wrote on the Internet.  

The tension on the scene escalated and authorities halted any more poll watchers entering the counting center saying maximum capacity had been reached. This came as Biden inched ahead in polls with a 0.7 percent lead with 99 percent of votes tallied. “We have exceeded the amount of challengers,'' an election worker told Detroit Free Press.

“We are not allowing any more challengers in at this time.” For the unversed, both Republicans and Democrats are allowed 134 challenges each to monitor the ballot counting process which exceeded at TCF Centre. 

Republican challenger Timothy Griffin, a lawyer from Virginia, reportedly said he had been at the TCF since Tuesday night because the voting system was “not fair”. “This whole thing is under suspicion,” he said. “It's not equal. It's just not fair.” 

On the other front, Democratic challenger Liz Linkewitz from Harrison Township said that she was there to help ensure the rights of American people to vote were being upheld. “I just want to make sure that all Michigan votes are counted,” she said as reported by Daily Mail. “This election is, as Joe Biden says, for the soul of our country.”

Many people on the Internet started to post videos of in and near the TCF building. Author Michael Eric Dyson wrote, “I grew up in Detroit in the 60s. This is a stark reminder of the deep hatred of blackness felt by many White folks who lived in the suburbs but who exploited the city’s services and resources before fleeing back to ‘safety.’ ‘Stop the count’ may as well be ‘Stop the Blacks.’ Sad.”

A user posted videos from outside the building “Trump supporters outside the TCF Center in Detroit chanting ‘stop the count’. They’re displaying an open desire to see voter suppression.” Another user wrote, “Election challengers shout ‘Stop the count’ as poll workers count absentee ballots in #Detroit, Michigan in the 2020 general election.” 

A journalist wrote, “ Large, animated crush of 'stop the count' protestors trying to push their way into TCF hall in #Detroit where ballots are being counted. They’re being blocked by guards at the door. Pizza boxes are pushed against the window to obstruct view. It’s tense.” A user wrote, "Observers? They looked like a wild pack of animals (sheep) banging on the windows 'To Stop The Count', can’t you at least lose with grace?" Another wrote, "This is disgusting. Stop the count of LEGAL BALLOTS?! Huh? No, TRUMPERS we #CountAllTheVotes"