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.
