Hundreds of Fort Collins community members lined South College Avenue from Mulberry Street to Horsetooth Road in protest of President Donald Trump’s administration and to celebrate International Workers’ Day, otherwise known as May Day.
Protesters stood with signs beside the street for two hours through wind and rain as passing drivers honked and cheered in support. Some chanted slogans like, “Out in FoCo, what’s the word? March and protest till we’re heard,” while signs carried messages such as, “Left or Right, We All See Wrong,” and, “True Patriots Fight For The Constitution.”
The protest was part of a nationwide movement opposing the Trump administration, as well as an annual global holiday honoring historic labor movements. While the U.S. does not officially recognize May Day, it is usually still practiced as a national day of action.
IndivisibleNOCO, a local grassroots activist group, organized the Fort Collins May Day protest to push back against a variety of actions taken by the Trump administration.
“Drawing inspiration from the legacy of labor and community movements of the past, the May Day action is dedicated to fighting for a better future that prioritizes the needs of working families and their neighborhoods,” a press statement from IndivisibleNOCO reads. “Just four months into the Trump administration, the May Day action emerges as American families face cuts to programs for low-income students, reductions in Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, attacks on unionized foreign graduate students and calls for additional tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.”
May Day originated in the U.S. as a day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket Affair, a violent and deadly clash between police and protesters, who were demanding an eight-hour workday, at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. The holiday was then adopted by a handful of other countries in an effort to fight against capitalism and unfair labor practices.
“If Trump doesn’t listen, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what our recourse is, but I just feel like filling the streets is the only thing we have.” -Kathy North, IndivisibleNOCO spokesperson
This year’s U.S. protests were more centered on pushing against Trump in the wake of several executive actions that are regarded as anti-working class by some.
“So many people are being chaotically displaced from their jobs,” said Colorado State University Professor Emerita Donna Rouner. “I’m worried that unions are going to go away. I’m worried about the threat to unions, which are the solid backbone to the middle class.”
Kathy North, an IndivisibleNOCO spokesperson, said demonstrators showed up with a variety of concerns related to Trump’s recent actions, but many attendees underscored how those actions are a threat to democracy as a whole.
“It’s really hard to pick one kind of thing, and I think part of (protesting) is just trying to keep that democracy that we have,” North said. “We want to make sure it doesn’t have to be this way.”
Several protest signs echoed this sentiment, with slogans like, “No Kings!” and, “Wherever Law Ends, Tyranny Begins.”
North emphasized that protesting is one of the only tools U.S. citizens and residents have in fighting against Trump, making it all the more important.
“If Trump doesn’t listen, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “I don’t know what our recourse is, but I just feel like filling the streets is the only thing we have.”
Carla Felts, an IndivisibleNOCO volunteer and combat veteran, said exercising First Amendments rights is essential to standing up for democracy.
“This is our First Amendment right, and any right that’s not utilized could be taken away,” Felts said. “Protesting builds momentum.”
Sonya, a mother of a CSU student who asked that her last name be anonymous to protect her business and her daughter’s privacy, said she is disgruntled by how the Trump administration has impacted students and how CSU has responded.
“First of all, why didn’t (CSU) do anything when those students had their visas revoked?” Sonya said. “I get that they need the money — I get that. But, you know, that’s what (Trump is) betting on. Somebody has to stand up.”
Notably, it was primarily working adults, retired community members and former federal workers or veterans who showed up. CSU students were largely absent from the protest, but May Day demonstrations are expected to continue across the country and on campus.
Reach Chloe Waskey at news@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.
