The streets of Boston erupted in demonstrations Saturday after former Vice President Joe Biden was declared winner of the 2020 presidential election after days of counting mail-in ballots in states around the country.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he would not concede and would fight in court to overturn the results.
In the shadow of the golden dome of the State House, the divisive election played out in competing demonstrations as a pro-Trump rally on the State House steps was met on the opposite side of the street by people reveling in Biden's victory.
It was sometimes difficult to hear Daniel Herzberg, 32, who lives in Reading and grew up in Cambridge, as cars honked their horns and played music as they drove between the dueling demonstrations. But he was still ecstatic over the news of Biden's victory.
"Oh, it was incredible," he said. "I mean, not surprising after the last three or four days, but still completely incredible."
He said Trump's behavior and how it impacted the perception of America was his biggest issue was a voter.
"Economies rise and fall and diseases unfortunately come and go, but nothing can replace the reputation of the country," Herzberg said. "And I don't know what's gonna happen with that, but something's gotta be done."
AJ Jones, 42, of Dorchester, wore a Wu-Tang Clan mask at the celebration. He said he was stressed out before the news of Biden's victory was official, and he warned that Trump can still make moves to contest the results.
"We're not out of the woods yet. Trump's still threatening to tie things up in court and we're gonna have situations like this," he said gesturing to the pro-Trump gathering on the other side of Beacon Street. "But, I feel relieved. And I feel more relieved that more...members of the GOP came out said, 'Hey, we're gonna go with the results.'"
Mwamba Malekani, 31, said that she's from outside of Boston. She displayed a shirt from Stacey Abrams campaign for governor of Georgia, which she worked on.
She was especially excited because of Abrams' contributions to bring out Democratic voters in Georgia that has Biden clinging to a narrow lead in the state as the vote counting continues.
"I'm happy, she made Georgia blue," she said.
Trump supporter Robert Scibilio of Scituate said Biden supporters were "uneducated."
“There’s been a lot of corruption with Joe Biden and his family," Scibilio said. “I understand why a lot of the vote in Massachusetts went to Biden. People here are very, very uneducated about the corruption in politics.”
Bob Hartwell, 67, of Boston was on the Trump side and had a sign that expressed doubt that Biden could have gotten more votes than Trump. When asked if he accepted the news of Biden's victory, he responded "hell no."
The two gatherings were contentious at times, with people on each side sending jeers to the other side, and police gathered nearby.
Other gatherings went on throughout the city, as people gathered in Copley Square, marchers paraded through Downtown Crossing, and celebrants filled streets in Jamaica Plain.
In Somerville, dozens of people gathered in Davis Square, waving signs and flags and blaring music over a PA system.
“As an immigrant you come here because things are supposed to better here," said Somerville's Wilson Wanene, who came to the U.S. from Kenya in 1978. "The last four years were very long and very discouraging. I’m just hoping, now praying, that we can begin to come back together again.”
City Councilor Michelle Wu and other local Democratic politicians issued celebratory statements. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris winning this presidential election is just the first step," Wu said. "Cities have a responsibility to use the momentum from this moment to deliver real, systemic change."
Matt Baskin and Edgar B. Herwick III contributed to this report.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the year Wilson Wanene moved to the United States. It was 1978.