Sharon Roggy was standing along the sidewalk of Nevada Avenue downtown Saturday afternoon, waving a sign that said “No Kings” on it as she yelled to cars driving past, many of which were honking back. 

The honks were not out of frustration, but rather support, because Roggy, 79, was accompanied by thousands of people who were protesting against President Donald Trump and his administration — despite a political climate that Roggy said makes many fearful to speak out.

The rally was one of 2,000 “No Kings” protests across the country. The mass mobilization was in response to increasing “authoritarian excess and corruption” from the Trump administration, according to the website for the Colorado Springs rally.

The protests were planned to coincide with Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., which celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Army and also the president’s 79th birthday.   

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People, both old and young, waved American flags or carried signs as they lined the sidewalks and medians of Nevada Avenue, stretching from City Hall to Uintah Street a mile away. Many of the signs protested against the Trump administration and deportation, while others advocated for the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, Native Americans and others.

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Some in the crowd had masks and sunglasses covering their faces. 

Roggy has been protesting in the United States since the 1970s. She, like others interviewed by The Gazette, shared a fear that the right to protest in the U.S. is in danger under today’s political climate.

Trump’s warning that anyone who protests at the parade in Washington will be met with “very heavy force” further cemented Roggy’s and other’s concerns of the administration and its supporters being eager and willing to silence people. 

A thousand miles away from Colorado Springs, two Democratic lawmakers were shot, one fatally, in a “politically motivated assassination” in Minnesota early Saturday morning, the state’s governor, Tim Walz, said at a news conference.

“When you get that kind of thing going on, and the message gets out there that ‘Oh my gosh, people are getting mowed down,’ you will start to see less and less people show up to these protests,” Roggy said.

With the suspect still on the loose, Minnesota officials asked the public not to attend a “No Kings” protest scheduled at the state capitol “out of an abundance of caution” after finding flyers of the protest in the suspect’s vehicle. Protest organizers canceled the rally as a result. 

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“I feel less safe, I saw some drones and a few cops, and it did get me a little on edge,” said Alex Alcock, who has been protesting since 2016.

Instances such as the use of the military against protesters in Los Angeles have made Alcock fearful of the government. To her, the message Trump’s administration is sending is clear.

“They want to tell you that they can do whatever they want and get away with it. That their word is law and that they’ll step on the Constitution if they feel like it,” she said. “It is freaky that they’re trying to shut (protesters) down.”

Polly Fiedler, a leader with Indivisible Colorado Springs, which organized the event, said the organization put great emphasis on making the demonstration peaceful, noting it had over 50 marshals trained to keep protesters from being too provocative.

“Part of this is because of concerns with the government taking action, but it’s not only just out of fear. This is our value. The need to keep it peaceful became more highlighted after L.A., but peaceful protesting is what Indivisible has been about since the beginning,” Fiedler said.

The Colorado Springs Police Department told The Gazette that it would monitor suspicious activity to ensure the public’s safety. Fiedler said Indivisible worked with police to make sure that the protest went smoothly.   

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About a 10-minute walk from the protest, people at Alamo Square Park for the Pikes Peak Pride Festival echoed the sentiment that the political climate is making it difficult to speak your mind.

Andrew Qualls, 38, was sitting in the shade at the festival with his husband of two years and his two dogs, including a rainbow-colored dog named Ellie. Qualls, who recently moved to Colorado Springs from Florida, said it’s hard to speak up for his beliefs, noting he could lose his job in the health care industry if he does.

Qualls did say that he feels much safer in Colorado Springs than he did in the South.

“You could just tell it was that general feeling of discomfort. Nobody ever did anything bad against us, but there were always the sideways glances. It was the quiet hatred,” he said.

Amber Ptak, CEO of ChangeLine, the company that runs the downtown LGBTQ+ community center Prism Community Collective, said the LGBTQ+ community has been in a heightened state of fear since Trump took office, adding that a national shift to a more anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment has created a cover for people to spread hate.

An estimated 9,000-12,000 people attended the “No Kings” rally in Colorado Springs, making it the city’s largest gathering opposing the administration since Trump retook office in January, Fiedler said. 

Waves of people marched from City Hall to Cache la Poudre Street along Nevada Avenue, staying beyond the scheduled 2 p.m. end time before eventually dispersing. Many of the marshals directed protesters to go to the Pride event.  

Organizers gave out over 6,000 American flags, as part of an effort to “take back the flag.” 

Fiedler, who led the effort, said the meaning behind the American flag has changed since Trump regained the White House, noting many liberals have a visceral reaction against it now.

“The flag stands for constitutional values and democracy,” she said. “We need to take it back. Liberals stopped flying it, but we have to stop being embarrassed of it. … We can take it back.”

Despite the fear among protesters, Roggy noted the diversity in the crowd should send a message to Trump and his administration.

“He was looking for a fight, and he got it,” she said.

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