Photos by Cailean Albert for Boulder Reporting Lab.
Thousands gathered in Boulder on Saturday, June 14, as part of the national “No Kings” day of protest against the Trump administration. The local demonstration was among several in Boulder County, including events in Longmont, Louisville, Erie and Nederland. Organizers estimate more than 5,000 people attended the rally in the City of Boulder — one of the largest local protests in recent memory.
Protesters crowded between 9th Street and Broadway, lining both sides of Canyon and Broadway. They chanted anti-Trump and pro-democracy slogans and cheered as cars passed by. The event was part of a national day of action held in over 2,100 cities and towns, drawing more than 5 million people nationwide, according to organizers — making it the largest coordinated protest since President Trump returned to office.
The protests coincided with a military parade in Washington, D.C., for the Army’s 250th anniversary, held on Flag Day and Trump’s 79th birthday. Organizers criticized the event’s projected $25-45 million price tag as a “made-for-TV display of dominance.”
Speakers at the Boulder rally included Mayor Aaron Brockett, District Attorney Michael Dougherty, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Councilmember Nicole Speer.
“The energy of the crowd was strong as we pushed back against the illegal and immoral acts of the Trump Administration,” Brockett later said on Instagram. “As I said about their attempt to use the horrendous terror attack on our Jewish community as a pretext for authoritarian actions: ‘Do not use the suffering of our residents as your excuse to dismantle democracy.’”
Several protesters said the stakes felt higher than ever.
“You can’t stay home. Every day is a challenge with this asshole in power,” Gwen Dooley said.
“I fought for the Constitution in Vietnam and for this country,” said veteran Steve Burden. “I just hate to see what’s happening now, especially with losing the rule of law and this movement towards fascism.”
The demonstrations were organized by groups that helped lead earlier protests, including 50501, Indivisible and the ACLU.
Nationally, the protests remained largely peaceful despite military deployments in some states. But violence did erupt in isolated incidents. In Utah, a demonstrator was fatally shot during the Salt Lake City march, reportedly by a member of the event’s peacekeeping team who was confronting an armed man. And in Minnesota, all events were canceled after a shooting killed two state lawmakers.
Thank you for mentioning protests taking place in other small towns in the area. Estes Park, too, had more than 500 protesters. The mainstream media is missing a lot when it focuses solely on big cities. Discontent is extremely widespread and growing.