DENVER — A crowd thousands strong, many carrying signs and waving international flags, flocked to the steps of the Colorado State Capitol Wednesday afternoon as part of a nationwide protest against the new Trump administration.
In Colorado, the protest took place in the hours after a large-scale federal law enforcement operation at multiple locations across the Denver metro. Several agencies were targeting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and drug traffickers in an operation that spanned at least four locations.
Immigration enforcement, and the Denver metro specifically, was a focal point of President Trump's campaign.
At one point during Wednesday's protest, a group of protesters broke off from the crowd and marched around the Capitol building.
"It's really empowering. It's great to see," demonstrator Gerardo Rosales told Denver7. "There's multiple communities coming together for one cause and it's good to see. This is what the United States was founded on liberty and justice for all and bringing us together for the greater good."
- Denver7's Brandon Richard has a report from the ground that shows the size of the crowd in Colorado. Watch in the video player below:
Elsewhere, thousands of demonstrators also gathered outside a federal courthouse in Philadelphia and at state capitols in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Protesters waved signs decrying Trump; billionaire Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency; and Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport! Do something,” said one demonstrator’s sign in Philadelphia.
A movement is organizing the protests online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Social media calls for action included such messages as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”
The crowd in Colorado was speaking out against several recent moves by the Trump administration.
"We're coming together – finally, our voices together are louder than one man, so that's what I'm hoping happens," demonstrator Sherry Schultz said. She noted that she is a retired teacher and is disabled. For those reasons, she was upset by the administration's moves to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and potentially dismantle the Department of Education.