From Denver to Erie to Longmont, Coloradans turned out in the tens of thousands for No Kings Day, standing together against authoritarianism with laughter, costumes, and conviction.
NO KINGS DAY: DENVER + ERIE
By Shavonne Blades
It was a day of love and joy, filled with color, laughter, and purpose. When it was time to name the photo files, I couldn’t help but giggle at the titles I needed to choose: Cookie Monster, a unicorn, a T-Rex. It fit the spirit of the day. But beneath the smiles, the message was clear: Americans are rejecting the authoritarianism of the current administration.
As a local indie, we couldn’t be in every town that had a protest (there were so many of them), but we did make it to Denver and Erie, and photographer Kenneth Wajda covered Longmont for us.
Across the Front Range, the energy was undeniable. In Denver, more than 25,000 people are reported to have turned out—exceeding the June No Kings Day—and the march stretched for several blocks. Denver had a visible police presence, but the day remained peaceful throughout the protest. In Erie, at least a thousand Erieites turned out, and in Longmont, an estimated 6,000 joined in, an impressive turnout for a town of about 100,000.
In Denver, we didn’t see many pro-Trump counter-protesters, and there weren’t many in Erie either—but in a smaller town, even a handful stood out more. Police presence was constant at the Erie protest, with officers repeatedly driving by, but they too remained peaceful. One man tried to start a fight and even put his hands on a protester, but the situation stayed calm as the protester walked away rather than react…