The day of protests came on the same day as Trump's birthday and the Army's 250th anniversary, which the president celebrate by holding a military parade in Washington, D.C.
Protests took place across the country, including many places in Colorado. Attendees at the Denver No Kings rally were encouraged to dress up as Trump and the White House administration, corresponding with the event's motto: "No kings, clowns." Thousands were expected to attend the No Kings protest, with plans for another ICE Out! demonstration around 5 p.m. on the west steps of the Capitol, across the street from where the No Kings rally took place.
Hundreds had already peacefully gathered for the No Kings event by 11 a.m., with plans to keep it that way, according to organizers, which included the Colorado Forward Party, Solidarity Warriors, 50501 Colorado, Notes of Dissent Marching Band, Raise Her Voice and the Party for Socialism & Liberation, among others.
A major ICE Out! protest occurred in Denver days earlier that saw marchers stop traffic and police make eighteen arrests, according to the Denver Police Department. Police had a major presence in Denver yesterday morning, with SWAT vans and police cars parked by the protest site and driving around the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Westword was at the No Kings rally and around the Capitol all day, providing updates and context to the protest as well as photos, videos and social media posts.
Senior Citizens Start Protesting Early
A couple dozen senior citizens from Brookdale Assisted Living Facility, 150 Quebec Street, spent their evening on Friday, June 13, raising signs reading "Democracy Under Attack" and "No Kings" while drawing honks of support from passing drivers."We may be seniors, and we may be on our last leg, but we still want to have a voice," Rune Martin, a resident at Brookdale, said. "The people I care about aren't myself. I care about my kids, my grandkids and what kind of world we leave them."
The senior-led protests grew by Saturday, with about eighty seniors from Windsor Gardens, a retirement community at 595 South Clinton Street, raising signs and wearing costumes mocking Trump near East Alameda Avenue and South Havana Street in the morning. Participant Gabriel Scott held up a sign reading "Heil Shitler" because Trump "is a piece of shit," he tells Westword.
By 11 a.m., Lincoln Memorial Park was already bustling with hundreds of sign- and flag-bearing activists — with many on the Capitol steps as well.

Juan Avinña Saenz waves a Mexican flag in front of a large crowd at Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, June 14.
Bennito L. Kelty
Protesters Marching Down Colfax Avenue, Into Downtown
Protesters began marching in the street around 12:30 p.m., with a large crowd walking down West Colfax Avenue, near the Broadway intersection, and past the Populus hotel with signs and megaphones. Chants included "What kind of power? People power!" Other chants voiced support for Palestine.By around 1 p.m., the march had reached the intersection of 15th and Stout streets. The march disrupted traffic, but there were no reports of violence or police altercations.
According to the Denver Police Department, there were road closures near the Capitol, with "additional rolling closures" along Colfax Avenue, Speer Boulevard and downtown. Alternate routes were advised.
#TRAFFIC: Road closures remain near State Capitol due to demonstration activity. Additional rolling closures along W. Colfax, Speer Blvd., and downtown. Alternate routes are advised to avoid traffic delays. Updates will be added to this thread. #Denver https://t.co/h8uMIPLnua
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 14, 2025
March Returns to Capitol as Protest Crowd Grows
After hitting 17th Street through downtown to Union Station and circling back, the marching protesters returned to the Capitol area. The crowd, well into the thousands, was growing as the day went on and remained largely peaceful.Protesters Across Colorado Join No Kings Rally
Denver wasn't the only major rally point for No Kings on Saturday. No Kings protesters also gathered in Arvada, Castle Rock, Golden, Littleton, Thornton and dozens of other Colorado towns.Several hundred protesters had gathered in Pueblo by 11 a.m., with two people arrested, according to KOAA, although it's unclear why the arrests were made.
Thousands gathered at City Hall in Colorado Springs by noon to protest, with no reported incidents as of 1:25 p.m.
Denver No Kings Rally Also an Activist Fair
The No Kings rally at Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park was also an activist fair, with tables and tents set up until 4 p.m. offering education and materials related to various causes, including climate change, supporting the homeless, abortion rights, health-care reform and limiting the influence of money in politics. (And, as seen above, some of them also allowed you to pin the worm on RFK's brain.) Groups involved included Indivisible Colorado, Re:Vision, Solidarity Warriors and Unity Harbour.Protesters Chant for Jax Gratton
Protesters along Broadway and at the intersection at Broadway and 14th Avenue, near the Capitol and original No Kings rally location, chanted "Long live Jax!" in honor of Jax Gratton, an LGBTQ+ activist and hairdresser who was found dead in a Lakewood alleyway last week after going missing for over a month.Gratton, whose search gained national attention, was honored on the Denver City & County Building steps Monday, June 9, by her mother, friends and fellow activists.
“It's not just about Jax — it’s about all of you in the LGBTQIA+ community who face the world every day with courage, just wanting to live, love and exist safely and equally,” Gratton's mother, Cherilynne Gratton-Camis, wrote on social media. “That should never be a fight. And yet it is.”
Estimated Crowd Size
According to the Colorado State Patrol, which monitors protests that take place at the State Capitol Building and Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park, the estimated crowd size for the No Kings protest reached around 5,000 people by 2 p.m., but participants believe the number was much, much higher. Although that's not as big as the crowd of over 30,000 for a Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez across the street at Civic Center Park in March, the No Kings rally was still responsible for one of the biggest protest turnouts of the year.Photos, Costumes Poke Fun at White House
Signs, costumes and T-shirts made fun of Trump and his administration at the No Kings protest in Denver. Multiple protesters brought balloons depicting Trump as a giant, orange, diaper-wearing baby, while another protester held a sign reading "Golden Shower Age of America."
The signs, costumes and props came out for the No Kings rally on Saturday, June 14.
Bennito L. Kelty
Lotta pissed off people. Brings a tear to my eye. #NoKingsDay #Denver 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PrShErezAG
— Cameron Sadler (@CamSad37) June 14, 2025
Protests Back to Capitol Area, Colfax Cleared
After a march through downtown and around an hour of protesters lining Broadway, by late afternoon the majority of demonstrators were back around Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park and the State Capitol, according to Denver police. Colfax Avenue was opened in both directions after marchers briefly stopped traffic.Protests and marches were expected to last into the evening. According to the DPD, Broadway would be closed north of Colfax Avenue and the Capitol, with "rolling road closures" planned as demonstrations occur.
Marches Begin Down Broadway, Around Union Station
Protesters started marching again in late afternoon, this time going south down Broadway, with another group headed to LoDo and Union Station. Both were significantly smaller than the earlier march down West Colfax Avenue and into downtown, but the group marching toward south to Interstate 25 had grown to a few hundred people. Some protesters also headed for the 20th Street entrance to I-25, but were diverted and joined the lengthy line of protesters traveling down Wynkoop Street in front of Union Station.
Protesters walk down Wynkoop Street in front of Union Station late Saturday afternoon.
Patricia Calhoun
Update From the Denver Police Department
By 6 p.m., the DPD had managed five marches near the State Capitol Building. A sixth march began at 6:30 p.m., after most protesters had left the downtown area; it headed west toward I-25. "Officers were staged at Osage Street to prevent the protesters from accessing the highway," according to the DPD. "Following numerous loudspeaker announcements that the protesters would be denied access to the highway, protesters attempted to push through the line of officers, and an unlawful assembly was declared...At this time, officers have made approximately five arrests associated with this incident, and protesters have been dispersed from the area."Hours later, at approximately 9:20 p.m., protesters marched to the intersection of 20th and Blake streets, where officers had been staged earlier in the day to block access to I-25. "Numerous loudspeaker announcements were made telling protesters they would not be allowed to access the highway," the DPD reported, "and when officers observed some protesters picking up rocks (rocks were previously thrown at officers at W. Colfax Ave. and Osage St.), announcements were made declaring an unlawful assembly. Following additional dispersal orders and time, protestors began advancing toward officers, and officers used pepper balls and smoke (no tear gas was used) to disperse the group and for area denial. Protestors again threw rocks and objects at officers. However, the group was dispersed from the area."
At the same time, a protester started a small fire in the 1400 block of Lincoln Street, which was still closed to vehicle traffic; officers dispersed the small crowd at the scene. But there was soon another confrontation in Capitol Hill.
Some protesters and people who happened to be near the sites dispute the DPD's claim that no tear gas was used, pointing not just to smoke but to fumes that affected the eyes and throat. "Once officers reached a critical mass, the order was called to fire on the group," says one witness to the Capitol Hill confrontation. "These demonstrators were categorically non-violent, were huddled tight and posed no threat to anyone present. It’s my opinion, at least in this particular case, the Denver Police Department wildly overstepped and needs to be held accountable."
DPD updated arrest numbers early on June 15. Thirty-six people were arrested, including one juvenile who was cited and released, and one person for an outstanding warrant in Delta County. The rest of the protest-related arrests were for investigative charges ranging from Resisting Arrest to Obstruction of Streets, Interference With Police Authority and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, and Unlawful Throwing of Projectiles.
"DPD believes the vast majority of people participating in the No Kings demonstration left after the event concluded at approximately 4:00 p.m," according to DPD. "Those marches and demonstrations were peaceful. DPD believes a separate group of people were protesting last night when the arrests occurred."
Westword will be updating this coverage.