“No Kings” protests in Denver and across Colorado draw tens of thousands

From the lawn of Denver’s Capitol to the streets of Grand Junction, Coloradans traveled across the state Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” movement to protest the policies and actions of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Tens of thousands of protesters in downtown Denver and more than 50 cities and towns across Colorado marched against the deployment of federal agents and military forces in U.S. cities, the targeting of immigrant families and threats to the nation’s election, environmental, health and education systems, according to organizers.

Protesters gathered peacefully along streets and overpasses, in parks and downtown neighborhoods, in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Littleton, Arvada, Thornton, Commerce City, Loveland, Broomfield, Longmont and Boulder.

Outside of the Front Range, organizers have planned protests in small communities in the Eastern Plains, including Lamar and La Junta, and in Western Slope towns such as Cortez and Steamboat Springs.

In Denver, thousands of people filled the Civic Center and spilled into nearby streets, wearing everything from jeans and flannel shirts to inflatable unicorn and dinosaur costumes. Protesters held mostly handmade signs denouncing Trump and fascism, while others wrote messages supporting democracy and collective action.

“Trump skis in jeans,” read one sign. “The German soldiers were also just following orders,” said another.

Niwot resident Dan Weitz, 62, wore a chicken costume — inspired in part by similar outfits worn by protesters in Portland, Oregon — and held a sign reading “I Hate American Nazis” with a photo of the Blues Brothers.

He said showing up at protests like the “No Kings” rally at the state Capitol teaches people they are not alone.

“I have always been pro-American and pro-democracy, and to see Congress abdicate its responsibility as a co-equal branch of government… it must be denounced,” he said.

Protesters of all ages gathered around the Civic Center for about an hour Saturday afternoon as speakers addressed the crowd, which ranged from families pushing babies in strollers to protesters in their 70s.

Thornton father-son duo Marcus and Mosa Farmer, 48 and 21, said they came to the protest to express their opposition to the Trump administration.

“It’s important that people make their voices heard, especially as our democracy is being torn down before our eyes and our freedoms are being taken away,” said Mosa Farmer.

“This whole country started as a protest against decisions made without the participation of the people,” added Marcus Farmer.

Littleton resident Tia Decolati, 26, said she supports the community and because she thinks the Trump administration is hurting a lot of people.

“The administration’s narrative is that the protests are violent, make no difference and mean we hate our country,” she said. “So many people marching together shows that that’s not true. There are so many different things that people are angry and upset about, and the fact that people want to come together… (shows) that we are marching together in solidarity.”

Take to the streets

Crowds began streaming out of the park and toward Colfax Avenue around 1 p.m., continuing west on 15th Street and beyond.

A steady stream of protesters continued to join the march for at least 30 minutes, chanting “Hey, hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has to go” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”

Denverites Cynthia Strawbridge, 73, and Nelson Chase, 77, stood near the Voorhies memorial columns and watched protesters pass.

They have attended every Denver protest since January, angered by cuts in foreign aid, firings of federal workers and what they view as government propaganda.

“The baby boomer generation, some people get blamed for where we’re at, so we think it’s time to do our part again,” Strawbridge said.

She put her hand on her heart as she talked about the number of young people she saw at the protest. “It’s really good to see,” she said.

Demonstration larger than that of June

Chase said Saturday’s event appeared to double or triple the size of June’s “No Kings” protest in Denver, which drew about 20,000 people. Event organizers could not be reached for comment, but previously said they were expecting more than 12,000 people at Saturday’s protest.

Denver Police Department officials said the agency does not estimate crowd sizes.

Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Denver police said on social media that it appeared most protesters had left the Capitol and downtown following what they called a peaceful march. Lincoln Street at 14th Avenue remained closed, but other intersections along Colfax Avenue and Broadway reopened.

Denver police said they made only one arrest during Saturday afternoon’s main protest — for possessing a knife. But authorities later said police dispersed a small group of protesters who tried to cross Interstate 25 near 20th and Chestnut streets. Denver police said they arrested 11 people “during side marches, not the main event.”

Officers began closing more roads Saturday evening due to ongoing protest activities, the agency said on social media.

As of 7:20 p.m., rolling road closures were occurring along South Broadway, south of 10th Avenue; near Sixth Avenue and Santa Fe Drive; and on Lincoln Street south of 13th Avenue.

Saturday’s protest appears to have caused less disruption to public transportation in downtown Denver than in June, when Regional Transportation District officials closed Union Station and suspended most light rail service for several hours.

The agency diverted at least seven bus routes Saturday afternoon due to the closure of Lincoln Street near the Civic Center, but all service at the Civic Center and Union stations had returned to normal as of 4 p.m., officials said on social media.

“I just think it’s unfair.”

In northern Colorado, thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon along Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland with signs and costumes, and played music in a protest against the Trump administration.

Loveland resident Cheryl Barry, 68, said she joined the protest because she thought it could change the direction of the country — adding that she had witnessed nonviolent protest work in the past.

“The peaceful protests changed how we feel about Vietnam, they changed how we think about civil rights. Hopefully it will change how we feel about Donald Trump as well,” she said.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Longmont on Saturday afternoon, well outnumbering the 1,000 people registered for the event, according to organizers.

Susan Conversano said she attended the “No Kings” protest in Longmont for many reasons, including to support immigrants and oppose tariffs. She was impressed by the signs held up by her fellow protesters.

“I’m overwhelmed by the immense creativity and heart that people put into it,” Conversano said. “Sometimes it makes me cry. »

In Greeley, Naomi Valles Perez, 19, and her boyfriend, Bryan Mendoza, 18, had a very specific reason for showing up Saturday.

“I think it’s unfair that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can just take to the streets, profile people and take them away,” Mendoza said. “To hear that my family can be taken away like that, for no reason, I just think it’s unfair.”

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse said he stopped at protests in Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville and Fort Collins on his way to events in Boulder and Erie. Neguse, a Democrat representing Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, said it was “amazing” to see so many people at the Longmont protest.

“It’s a privilege to be able to walk with the people here,” he said.

“In this country there are no kings”

The Coloradans who demonstrated Saturday were among nearly 7 million demonstrators across the country, “No Kings” organizers said in a statement, an increase of 2 million participants from June.

People participated in protests in more than 2,700 cities in all 50 states, the group said. Protesters gathered in New York’s Times Square, Boston Common, Chicago’s Grant Park and hundreds of small public spaces.

It is the third mass national protest since Trump returned to the White House in January, and it comes as the government shutdown has shut down federal programs and services and tested the nation’s balance of power.

“Today, millions of Americans united to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not the ambition of one man,” Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, part of the “No Kings” coalition, said in a statement. “…This movement is not about a single protest; it is about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be governed. Trump may want a crown, but in this country there are no kings.”

Prairie Mountain Media journalists Dana Cadey, Will Costello and Trevor Reid and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen newsletter.

Originally published: October 18, 2025 at 11:25 a.m. MDT