Inspiring messages of love and hope have been written on Post-It notes and stuck to the walls of a New York station following Donald Trump’s election to the White House on Tuesday night.
The “healing” notes, also known as “subway therapy”, are a stark contrast to the anti-Trump protests which took place across the US on Wednesday night, which saw effigies of the president-elect set on fire.
In states across America demonstrators took to the streets to declare the billionaire is “not my president”.
Protesters started fires, sprayed buildings and news vans with anti-Trump profanity and blocked roads and freeways.
Tuesday’s result saw Trump secure 279 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed, despite receiving 200,000 fewer popular votes than his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
But instead of taking to the streets to partake in the anti-Trump protests, some New Yorkers decided to share messages of hope, grief and disappointment on the walls of Union Square subway.
Hundreds of Post-Its lined the walls of the station, with some encouraging citizens to “fight back” while others encouraged people to “love” one another. One note expressed voter regret.
These are some of the messages left:
““Stand up and fight back.””
““I wept for my children and I wept for our future.””
““You will not divide us. Love is everything.””
““Everything will be alright.””
““It doesn’t end today.””
““Have hope.””
““I love this town and this country.””
““Love still trumps hate.””
““I regret my vote.””
The idea of the message wall was set up by artist Levee, who told ABC7: “Because of how stressful the last couple of days were, I thought it would be nice to have something that people could do really quickly so they could maybe get something off their chest.
“Today is kind of a special edition because of the frustrations and stress it seems like people will have. So I brought the Post-Its and I thought it’d be interesting to see everyone’s thoughts up on the wall. It’s been really beautiful.”
America’s subway therapy is reminiscent of how Londoners reacted to riots which occupied the capital in 2011.
Following a third night of rioting in August, hundreds of messages were left on the boarded up window of a Poundland in Peckham which became a tribute to the area.
On Wednesday night flames lit up the night sky in California as thousands of protesters burned a giant papier-mache Trump head in Los Angeles and started fires in Oakland intersections.
Los Angeles demonstrators beat a Trump piñata and sprayed the Los Angeles Times building and news vans with anti-Trump profanity. One protester outside LA City Hall read a sign that simply said “this is very bad”.
Late in the evening several hundred people blocked one of the city’s busiest freeways, US 101 between downtown and Hollywood.
In Oakland, several thousand people gathered in Frank Ogawa Palaza, police said, clogging intersections and freeway on-ramps.
In Chicago, where thousands had recently poured into the streets to celebrate the Chicago Cubs’ first World Series victory in over a century, several thousand people marched through the Loop. They gathered outside Trump Tower, chanting “Not my president!”
Chicago resident Michael Burke said he believes the president-elect will “divide the country and stir up hatred.” He added there was a constitutional duty not to accept that outcome.
A similar protest in Manhattan drew about 1,000 people. Outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in midtown, police installed barricades to keep the demonstrators at bay. At least 65 people were arrested in Manhattan.