Yesterday’s Denver protests were “a flexing of the muscles,” organizers say

At least two thousand people flocked to Colorado’s Capitol last night for an emergency protest, in solidarity with the protestors and undocumented immigrants being attacked in Los Angeles.

Denver’s Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL), along with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), labor union CWA 7799, and 50501 Colorado, urged community members to meet at the Capitol last night starting at 5:30 p.m.

The emergency solidarity protest in Denver was an organized response to mass street protests in Los Angeles. Beginning on Friday, local police and federal immigration officials entered LA to conduct widespread immigration raids. Community members came together in the tens of thousands to protect their neighbors from detention and to rebuke Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Donald Trump responded by calling in thousands of California National Guard troops, as well as at least 700 Marines.

Now, Angelenos are facing an 8 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew in parts of the city.

According to Democracy Now!, organizers say many of the protests have been successful at preventing ICE arrests and detention.

KGNU’s Jackie Sedley attended last night’s protest, and said it was unlike any they’ve personally attended since Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.

The main difference was the energy in the air. In times past, at least a quarter of the crowd brought with them hope and positivity – smiling, chanting with at least a smidge of optimism in their voices.

This time, the majority of people seemed very much on edge. People were not afraid to show their anger, especially toward law enforcement in the area.

The only time Sedley heard laughter amongst the crowd was when a Colorado State Patrol officer showed up to try and disperse an impromptu protestor disruption of traffic directly in front of the Capitol, and someone stuck a “F**K ICE” sticker on his back which stayed put for about 45 seconds before a fellow officer pulled it off (photographed below).

The evening started with speeches in front of the Capitol.

Listen:

Protestors started marching around 6:30, led by a PSL truck and organizers. An estimated two thousand people flooded the streets with that crowd, walking several blocks toward the federal Courthouse and beyond.

Those who arrived on the scene later initially stayed put at the Capitol steps, cheering at cars that drove by honking and occasionally waving Mexico’s flag out their windows.

Then, around 7:15, protestors began encouraging one another to disrupt the flow of incoming traffic crossing through Lincoln St. and 14th.

Despite two law enforcement officers’ subtle attempt to break up the crowd, protestors started marching on their own down Lincoln. Many of them eventually crossed to Broadway, and made their way back to the Capitol. But a smaller group continued south on Broadway, until they were stopped by officers in riot gear north of the I-25 interchange. They were met with police, who warned protestors to turn back or else face “chemical munitions.” About 30 minutes later, police deployed several canisters of chemical munitions into the crowd, eventually firing several volleys of chemical rounds from pepper ball guns. The protestors left the area around 8:30 p.m.

Back in front of the Capitol building, tensions felt high as an argument between two drivers in their respective vehicles broke out. While it didn’t appear to be related to the protest, an individual in attendance tried to get involved to help mediate the conflict. At that moment, an unmarked white van pulled up and at least eight armed men wearing bulletproof vests approached the situation. They soon after entered their vehicle again, at which point someone threw what appeared to be a water bottle at them. They jumped back out with their weapons but eventually loaded back into the car and drove away as protestors boo’ed them.

Colorado State Patrol issued an advisory just after 9 p.m., telling drivers to avoid downtown Denver because of QUOTE “large crowds and possible unlawful road closures.”

A Denver Police Department spokesperson told Newsline that as of 9 p.m. last night, she was not aware of any protest-related arrests.

Alfonso Poncho Espino with Denver’s Party for Socialism and Liberation called the protest not just solidarity, but “a flexing of the muscles, that this is what it takes to defend those rights that were, you know, taken, not given.” He added that it’s “an important thing that we need to continue doing wherever we’re at, whether it’s Los Angeles, whether it’s Denver, whether it’s Albuquerque, whether it’s New York City.”

Thank you to Verity Matthews, who contributed to that report.