As protesters prepare to gather at more than 1,500 “No Kings” events nationally on Saturday, Colorado Springs residents are planning to gather in America the Beautiful Park to push back on the Trump administration. 

“The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption and cruelty,” organizers wrote in the event announcement. 

Colorado Springs organizers said they expect thousands of people to attend the event. That would put the turnout on par with a downtown protest in June that drew thousands of people and coincided with a military parade celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Army. 

The latest round of nationwide protests is planned amid a government shutdown triggered by Senate Democrats fighting for health care subsidies and Medicaid funding. The administration has initiated layoffs, affecting agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services.  

The American Federation of Government Employees, a nationwide union, called on its members to participate in the protests amid the shutdown as a way to fight back against the Trump administration’s “ongoing quest to gut federal programs and services the administration finds objectionable,” the group said in a statement.

Colorado Springs organizers said they expect protesters to represent a wide range of concerns, including immigration enforcement, cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and changes within the Department of Defense, such as sending troops to assist with border security. 

The event is meant to help attendees peacefully voice their frustration at the national events, said Adam Gillard, who leads El Paso County Progressive Veterans.

“It’s exhausting for folks. … If you just sit down and read it everyday you just go crazy,” Gillard said. His group is working with Colorado Springs Indivisible and 50501 Colorado Springs on the event. Both are local chapters of national left-leaning groups 

The Trump administration’s crack down on illegal immigration is likely to be one of the key issues for protesters. 

As a veteran who worked to help the oppressed, Gillard called the treatment of those in ICE custody “horrific.” 

The number of people in custody has risen sharply in recent months reaching nearly 60,000 at the end of September, data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse shows.

ICE records show 21 people died in custody so far this year, up from 12 last year and 12 between 2021 and 2023. In 2020, 21 people died in custody during the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly before the release of vaccines.

Those interested in the protest are welcome to come in costume and bring signs to the gathering that will also feature workshops, music and food vendors, said Noami Rockafellow, a volunteer with Indivisible Colorado Springs. 

The event’s speakers will focus on school board elections in November to help educate attendees on their importance, Gillard said. School board elections will be held for seats in districts such as District 49, District 20 and District 11, among others. 

“We need everybody out there voting,” Gillard said. 

The protest will be held between noon and 3 p.m. Saturday in America the Beautiful Park. Three marches are planned, but organizers say they won’t shut down any roads.