A sight unseen in the San Luis Valley since maybe the 1970s, it was a political march that stretched for blocks on its loop through the heart of town. More than 300 people marched through Alamosa Saturday during the nationwide “No Kings” protests.
The No Kings events took place in more than 2,000 U.S. cities to protest the military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Millions of people are reported to have participated in the protests. There was not a protest in Washington, D.C.
No Kings also was in response to the deployment of National Guard and U.S. Marines to protests held after immigration raids occurred in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago.
There were just a few observed counterprotestors who stuck to their vehicles and yelled expletives, flipped birds and gassed their engines. It was an otherwise smooth march for people and smooth flow for traffic. Cars volleyed horns from the street to the raised fists on the sidewalks.
Alamosa Chief of Police George Dingfelder and a Colorado State Trooper directed traffic as the march made its way back to downtown Alamosa. Dingfelder later noted how well the event went overall.
After the march, a rally was held in Downtown in Centennial Park where a panel of speakers addressed issues ranging from education and public lands. A small group stayed on the corner of Main Street and State Avenue. It was a hot day in Alamosa, but the march drew people from all over the Valley.
Alamosa was among a large group of smaller towns and cities in Colorado to turn out for the protest, such as Pagosa Springs, Westcliffe, and Fairplay. Major cities saw groups in the thousands; large cities such as Philadelphia and New York City saw tens of thousands of protestors.
Most protested actions that have been in the news since the Trump Administration took office, such as Medicaid cuts, firing of federal employees, the prospect of millions of acres of federal land being sold, and tax cuts for those in the top income brackets.
Here are some images from the event:
