Around 2,000 people showed up in Sayre Park on Saturday, April 5, for the Hands Off! rally organized by Mountain Action Indivisible in conjunction with more than 1,200 similar events throughout the country. It’s estimated that 5.2 million Americans participated nationally in demonstrations to protect various rights and social services.
Speaking in Glenwood Springs were 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year Autumn Rivera, Glenwood Springs Middle School student Jude Greener, former Garfield County Library trustee Jocelyn Durrance, writer Annalise Grueter and Jake Black with Protect Our Winters. Musician John Hatanaka performed on stage and protestors lined Grand Avenue with homemade signs.
Organizer Debbie Bruell donned a cape, stating the local rally’s theme was “activism is our superpower” because “we can’t wait for someone to swoop in and save our country. It’s everyday people like us, getting out in the streets and visibly expressing our opposition, that’s going to stop the authoritarian takeover we’re witnessing.
