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'Can't let this continue': Hundreds protest Trump in Pueblo at 'No Kings' demonstration
Hundreds of Pueblo residents — like Americans throughout the country — continue to protest the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Pueblo was one of almost 2,000 communities to host a "No Kings" demonstration on June 14. The national day of protest coincided with Trump's 79th birthday and a Washington, D.C., parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
Trump said protestors interrupting the Washington, D.C., parade would be met with "very big force," but organizers of the Pueblo "No Kings" protest at the Sister Cities Plaza and Fountain emphasized nonviolence.
Pueblo Police Department Community Engagement Manager Bianca Hicks told the Chieftain two individuals were arrested at the protest, but neither of them were believed to be "No Kings" protestors.
After speaking on the importance of nonviolence, protest emcee Theresa Trujillo requested for any counter protestors or individuals looking to disrupt the protest to move away from the center of the protest area for their own safety. A man wearing a pro-Trump hat was seen yelling at anti-Trump protestors. He was later handcuffed by Pueblo PD. A woman in a white tank top also was escorted out by police.
Before coming together at Sister Cities Plaza, protestors gathered at several different locations in Downtown Pueblo.
Nick Voss, chair of the Pueblo Democratic Party, was among the individuals gathered near the corner of City Center Drive and Santa Fe Avenue to speak about the state of free speech in Trump's America.
"Trump has used his clout to try and silence dissenting voices, but that's what makes America great, right?" Voss told the Chieftain. "We may not all agree but we need to preserve our ability for good public discourse about the challenges we face."
Voss also spoke to the Chieftain about escalating political violence — including Trump's use of military force to counter protests in Los Angeles and the June 14 killing of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota.
Despite "every day" being a "challenge," Voss said his hope comes from seeing fellow Pueblo residents rally together for their community.
"At the end of the day, we restore the American dream by protecting what we love and what we love is our community," he said.
Colorado WINS Executive Director Hilary Glasgow was one of several protestors to speak at Sister Cities Plaza on Saturday. She urged individuals resisting Trump to join their workplace's union if they have not already. She said unions work to build a "society that works for human beings,' not just the wealthy.
"What sort of community are we trying to build?" Glasgow said. "What is the society that we want? In the union, we want our kids to go to school with full bellies, be in small classrooms, have good teachers, go home at the end of the night and have their families there because people aren't running side hustles — because one job is enough."
Citing examples like the charges filed against Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver after visiting an immigration detention facility and the deployment of the U.S. Marines in Los Angeles, Dawn Tripp, of NAACP Pueblo, said actions taken by the Trump administration are "how dictatorships begin."
"Get involved in some way," Tripp said.
"If you can't protest, paint a sign. Attend city council and board of county commissioner meetings. Call your representatives at the local, state and federal level. We can't let this continue. We won't let this continue."
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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about the 'No Kings' protest in Pueblo, Colorado
