Thousands of people filled the Boulder Bandshell and spilled into Central Park on Saturday afternoon for the No Kings 2 rally, one of more than 2,700 coordinated protests across the country calling for the defense of democracy and limits on executive power.
By late afternoon, the park between 13th Street and Broadway was packed with people carrying handmade signs and banners. Local and statewide elected officials and community organizers addressed the crowd from the Bandshell stage before attendees spread out onto Broadway, Canyon Boulevard and nearby streets for a honk-and-wave demonstration, drawing cheers and supportive honks from passing drivers.
Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin urged the crowd to stay engaged beyond the rally, to speak up, vote and help shape who represents their communities.
“What can you all do? Showing up, using your voice, speaking out on social media and talking to your neighbors is helpful,” she said. “But let me also encourage you: You know what’s going to really … piss off Trump? And I’m saying that as a person, as a resident, not as a county commissioner. When we have people of color at the local level, at the state level, and at the federal level. You all get to make that choice when you vote.”
Among the attendees was longtime Boulder activist Hank Brusselback, a CU graduate known for building large puppets used in demonstrations across the state. “I’m here because our democracy is in jeopardy,” he said. “This is a different time: pathetic and scary. In my lifetime, which is 80 years, I’ve never seen anything like this.”…