Demonstrators in Denver join 50 States protest against Trump

NEWS

Reporting by Elaine Tassy, CPR News, Chas Sisk, KUNC, and Paolo Zialcita and Andrew Kenney, Denverite. Photos by Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS. This is a developing story

DENVER — Hours after heavily publicized immigration raids in Aurora and Denver, a large crowd converged on the Colorado State Capitol to protest the new administration of President Donald Trump.

Thousands of people started gathering on the Capitol’s west lawn shortly before noon. The group then moved to block Lincoln Street and started a march circling the Capitol, with crowds continuing to pour in from different directions and blocking traffic on Lincoln Street.

It quickly became the largest protest that the city has seen in the second Trump administration.

“We speak for the ones who can't, because my mom couldn't be out here, because she's an illegal [immigrant] and she's scared,” said Kamila, a high school student. “We want her to be able to speak, be able to be free, be able to be anywhere and not be, like, scared by ICE.”

Kamila, who we are only identifying by her first name for her family’s security, said her mother has been too scared to go to work since Trump took office.

Protesters held signs with messages like “Love Wins Over Hate” and “Children Aren’t Criminals” and “We’re The Voice of The Undocumented” while waving Mexican and U.S. flags.

The Wednesday protest coalesced largely on social media, part of an effort to mount demonstrations in all 50 state capital cities. It has variously been called the 50 States Protest as well as the “50501” protest, a reference to 50 protests in 50 states on a single day.

The permit for Denver’s protest registered the event as “Dumbledore’s Army and The Resistance 5280” — a reference to the students who stood up to the forces of evil in the Harry Potter series.

The protest at the Capitol included groups marching on Broadway and Lincoln Street. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS

By 1 p.m., roughly half the protest had splintered, sending hundreds of people marching down Broadway. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people remained at the Capitol, listening to speeches.

Students from Manuel High School and other Denver schools had walked out to join the protest.

“I'm out here just generally to fight against the Trump administration and a lot of the choices he's choosing to make, against trans folks, for imperialism, of threatening to take back Panama and Greenland, and affecting my daily life in being a member of the LGBT [community],” said Alistair Townsend, 18, of 5280 High School.

Rachell and Yesenia, two college students at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and both children of immigrants, drove up to join the protest.

"We are basically the backbone of this country, so we want to be here to show everyone that we're not going anywhere," said Rachell, who declined to give her last name.

“It's important for people to understand that this isn't what it should be like now. We should all just be happy and together,” said Michiah Sineros, a KIPP student.

“I despise what [Trump] is doing. We are seeing a coup unfold here, and as far as I can tell, no one in the powers of the Republican Party are doing anything about it,” said Marsha Baird, who was thinking back to her college days in the Vietnam War protest movement.

Jesus, Fidel, Julian and Ivan gathered outside the capitol at a protest supporting immigrants’ rights and protesting the Trump administration’s plan for mass deportations. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS

Ron and Carol Earl attended a nationwide protest in support of their 22-year-old transgender daughter. The couple said their daughter was unable to change her federal identification to match her identity and they attended the protest to support her and other transgender people. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS

Anti-Trump organizing has been gaining momentum in Denver

So far, the protest movement in Denver and elsewhere has been far smaller than it was in the opening days of Trump’s first term, when tens of thousands crammed downtown Denver in weeks of protests. The Women’s March was estimated to have brought 100,000 people into the city on the day after Trump’s first inauguration. It was followed by several weeks of smaller protests.

Before today, no protest had gathered more than a couple hundred attendees.

However, anti-Trump organizing has gained momentum in the city in recent days, driven in large part by the threat of a crackdown on immigrants who lack legal status.

On Monday, nearly 2,000 people packed the halls of Shorter Community AME Church in Denver for a “know your rights” training. The event was focused on actions people could legally take that might help immigrants to avoid arrest.

So far, the protest movement in Denver and elsewhere has been far smaller than it was in the opening days of Trump’s first term, but anti-Trump organizing in Denver is gaining momentum. Photo: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS

This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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