I knew this was going to be a big protest when I saw people standing on the RTD train on the way into the city — Denver has a very underutilized light rail system and I’ve never been on this particular train when it was more than ¼ full.
The capitol steps were packed so tight that it was hard to move. I was like 50 feet from commenter Scott H but I couldn’t get to him until the march began — no room to move. Scott heard that the crowd estimate was 5,000. It was certainly half again as large as the 50501 protest I attended
A few things of interest:
A lot of Cory Booker signs, quotes and so forth. His speech clearly made an impression.
I didn’t hear all the speakers, but it was clear that no elected statewide Democrat, or House or Senate member, spoke, unlike at some other HandsOff rallies.
This is consistent with the overall timidity and libertarian bent of a lot of the Democratic electeds in the state. Denver’s core congressional district (CO-1) is D+29 and has been represented by the same person, Diana DeGette, since 1997. It would be great to have a young firebrand leader in that position.
The steps were mainly older white folks, but when we marched (a march that was at least 10 city blocks long), it was a younger and more diverse crowd.
Here are some pics from Scott and me:
Scott took this one - note the finger placement.
This gives you a slight idea of the crowd size — looking down from the Capitol steps.
Looking toward the Capitol - Jeanette Vizguerra’s daughter spoke about her mother, named on the sign, who was taken to a detention facility without a warrant.
Scott got this one, too.
