Thousands of people gathered outside the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol Building on Wednesday beginning at 12 p.m. to protest Donald Trump’s presidency and Project 2025. The protest was organized as part of the 50501 protests that were allegedly organized in every state in the country on February 5.
Multiple marches broke out on the streets surrounding the capitol building, which were allegedly not officially planned by protest organizers.
At around 3:15 p.m., SWAT allegedly appeared at the protest. As of when this article went to print, no action had been taken by the SWAT officers.
Protest organizers and community members addressed the crowd with speeches throughout the afternoon. Protestor Eddie Soto brought a microphone, speaker, and sound system onto the capitol building’s steps for protestors to use. Soto also translated the words of Spanish-speaking protestors into English and repeated their sentiments to the crowd.
“They want to get rid of us but we are the immigrants, we are the best of America,” said one protestor (translated from Spanish), who claimed to be an activist who helped advocate for Colorado's Road and Community Safety Act (CO-RCSA), also known as SB-251, which allows Colorado residents to get a driver's license regardless of immigration status. “I have never seen so many people out fighting for the cause,” he said.
Father Michael J. Nicosia, a priest of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, addressed the crowd, introducing himself as a gay, married Catholic priest. “We believe that our trans and nonbinary siblings exist,” he said. “Tomorrow in the chambers behind me is the annual lobby day for prevention of gun violence. In that fight, we are constantly proclaiming that thoughts and prayers are not enough. I want to thank you all for showing up with action today, and not with thoughts and prayers.”
Nicosia continued by saying that he was praying for the conversion of the U.S. and the exorcism of the government. “Prayer is vital right now because of the information silos,” he said. “The people that need to hear all of you aren’t getting the news about the shit that’s going on. Pray that eyes and ears are opened in our country.”
A 16-year-old protestor told the crowd that he was speaking for those who could not, including his mother, who is an immigrant. “United we stand, divided we fall,” he said. “No human is illegal on stolen ground. I thought that the end of the Pledge of Allegiance said, ‘with liberty and justice for all.’”
Any protestor was welcome to speak into the microphone and address the crowd.
The protest will allegedly continue until 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
