By Sara Wilson, Delilah Brumer and Sharon Sullivan
Posted June 19, 2025
Demonstrators gathered Saturday during more than 40 protests planned across Colorado to coincide with a military parade in Washington, D.C., and President Donald Trump’s birthday.
The Denver protest kicked off about noon near the Colorado Capitol. At about 12:15 p.m., a large group of marchers peacefully moved west on Colfax Avenue.
The Colorado demonstrations are part of a “nationwide day of defiance” by the organizers of the movement, dubbed “No Kings.” The national call for mass demonstrations is in response to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, federal funding cuts, defiance of judges in immigration cases and the planned military parade, which could cost up to $45 million. The administration says the parade is to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of the Continental Army, also known as Flag Day.
There has not been a military parade in the nation’s capital since 1991 to mark the end of the first Gulf War. Trump critics characterize Saturday’s parade as a theatrical display similar to ones hosted by authoritarian leaders abroad.
There were similar protests in Grand Junction, Montrose, Alamosa, Lamar and along the entire Front Range.
The Denver “No Kings” demonstration is 95-year-old Dolores Taylor’s first protest. Seeing other people her age at the protest gives her hope, she said.
“We’re here, coming out against the Trump administration, because this is not the American way,” she said.
Asked why he came to the Denver protest, Golden resident Mark Anderson said, “Just absolute frustration with what’s happening with our government.”
“I think our wonderful country is on the verge of becoming a dictatorship,” he added. “We have to do anything we can to put a stop to it.”
Emily Baxter, a 23-year-old Boulder resident, said a particular issue that prompted her to join the Denver protest is the Trump administration’s extreme immigration enforcement actions.
“I am very, very mad about all of the people being taken off of the street and those who are going to work and not coming home and the children who are losing their parents and losing their livelihood,” Baxter said.
The protest comes after multiple demonstrations in Denver against deportation efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including a march to an ICE detention center in Aurora on June 9, and a large gathering at the Capitol on June 10 evening. Law enforcement deployed smoke and pepper balls against a group of protesters that marched near the interchange of Broadway and Interstate 25 on June 10 and made 18 arrests related to the demonstration.
Early Saturday, two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses were attacked in targeting shootings, leaving Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, according to Minnesota authorities.
I am very, very mad about all of the people being taken off of the street and those who are going to work and not coming home and the children who are losing their parents and losing their livelihood.”
Emily Baxter
The official website of the “No Kings” protest expresses a “commitment to nonviolent action.”
Tension across the country has escalated since last weekend when ICE agents undertook raids at restaurants and workplaces in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. That prompted protests in the city, where there were some clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. Trump then sent Marines and California National Guard troops, against state and local leaders’ wishes, into L.A.
Groups including Indivisible Denver Action and the Colorado chapter of 50501 organized a fair alongside Saturday’s protest to host a food drive, music, games and showcase the work of various local activist groups.
Jackie Burt, a Denver resident, hosted a table in the park for passersby to write out answers to questions such as “What does our immigrant community need right now?” and “What in life brings you the most joy?” She calls her organization #ShowUpForGood.
“I’m calling this interactive art today,” she said. “I sensed that people really want to put their ideas into writing and be asked thoughtful questions. People are happy to be together, happy to hear music and happy to engage with each other.”
One question asked people to place pushpins on a scale that gauges whether they can envision world peace. The majority of people indicated they could.
Sara Wilson is a Reporter with Colorado Newsline. Delilah Brumer is a States Newsroom Capital Reporting Fellow based in Colorado.
Sharon Sullivan is a Grand Junction-based freelance writer. This article is republished from Colorado Newsline under a Creative Commons license. Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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