Thousands of people gathered outside the State Capitol building in Denver Saturday afternoon in opposition to the Trump administration and its allies.
“We’re fighting for our country and our democracy and everything that America does stand for,” said Navy veteran and former U.S. State Department worker Mike Young of Lakewood. “I was going to say used to stand for, but it's not used to – it feels encouraging to see that there’s that many other people, especially right here locally in the Denver area, that feel the same way.”
Saturday marked Young’s first time protesting. He attended with his brother who is developmentally disabled and receives Medicaid to support his care.
The event was one of hundreds of simultaneous “Hands Off!” rallies organized by more than 200 political groups across all 50 states. At the Capitol, the crowd filled the steps and the lawns on both sides of Lincoln Ave.
Hands Off planned rallies across the state including in Arvada, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Loveland and Grand Junction. Organizers included the ACLU, the League of Women Voters and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
People in attendance at the State Capitol rally who spoke with CPR News had five main demands: an end to the “illegal power grab by Trump, Musk and Congressional Republicans,” an end to cuts in federal funding for programs like Medicaid and Social Security, the protection of public lands, and an end to “attacks” against immigrants and people in the LGBTQ+ community.
“I'm upset about the lack of care for security,” said Tim Valdez of Denver. “The Signalgate thing, no accountability, no responsibility taken. Secondly, basically enacting a trade war against our allies. I mean, how do you fight with Canada for Christ’s sake? It just doesn't make any sense.”
“We're here to make our voices heard,” said Denver resident Michael Shepherd while holding an American and Ukrainian flag. He attended with his wife Kara and their three children ranging in age from 6 to 14. “I think in particular, being parents of daughters, we're out here to fight for our rights in general, just because we see those slipping away at a really rapid rate every day,” Kara said.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
“It's amazing to see all the people here uniting against a common enemy,” said high school freshman Aidan Shepherd. “I feel like we've found people who think alike — and I feel like we feel unstoppable.”
In a statement about the protests the White House said in part, “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
The rally included a march through parts of downtown which began at 1:30 p.m. Protesters had a permit to rally until 4 p.m., but the group was expected to stay longer with a goal of being the largest demonstration thus far during the Trump Administration.
