Denver “No Kings” Protest

I embarked on my journey that afternoon on public transportation knowing it would be nearly impossible to drive or Uber to the heart of the city without being gridlocked in traffic. I had no idea, until checking twitter that all busses and trains to downtown had been stopped due to the protest. I was prepared to be told “this was the last stop”, and the more I looked around, noticed the number of protesters walking outside and joining me on the RTD adventure to the capitol. This clue signaled me that I was on the right track.

As the last stop met all of us, on the “0” bus at 9th & Lincoln (a few stops short), I could tell already the energy of downtown felt different. It didn’t matter which side you were on it definitely felt good knowing THIS many people were coming together as one.

The afternoon protests were quite calm and peaceful…and of course the yelling of those that spoke their mind and political beliefs. It started in front of the state capitol near Colfax and began taking the streets. The chanting and sign holding protesters marched the downtown streets as drivers honked and shouted words of support.

I joined the march for a couple hours due to my phone battery dying and to recharge myself as well. As the night came, I headed back downtown as I heard the protest was still active. Once I came upon the protest I right away knew the good vibe had left the streets. There was a heavy police presence with more tactical equipment and I immediately was hit by the smell of tear gas, which is no joke and did a number on me.

There were more exchanges between the police and protesters which escalated as both sides were being more aggressive. I overheard an officer say they were just trying to clear the streets and void protesters taking over the interstate. I stayed back from the front lines, for my safety, so I can only show what I saw and what I documented in the pics and vids below. The country is in an odd place in history right now and it was a hopeful sight seeing people come together. Either side of the political fence you claim we have the right to raise our voices, and at least in the afternoon hours of Saturday, that message was shouted. For more of the videos and pics follow me on TikTok and instagram at @ Newdrivehomejoe