Multiple "ICE out" protests across Colorado include bicycle remembrance rides, "singing resistance"
More protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were ongoing or planned for later in the day across Colorado, with several in Denver on Saturday after a day of nationwide protests, general strikes, business closures, and school walkouts and closures.
One of those protests on Saturday included a "singing resistance"; hundreds of singers from multiple choruses sang as an act of resistance to ICE and the Trump administration at the steps of the State Capitol.
"What began only days ago as a small group of GALA choruses planning to sing together has quickly swelled into something far larger," a statement from Harmony: A Colorado Chorale read. "Ensembles from across Colorado have stepped forward, transforming a simple idea into a mass choral action rooted in unity, witness, and shared humanity."
The action was modelled after one formed in Minneapolis, where massive protests have been occurring for weeks, made larger and louder after the killing by an ICE agent of Renee Good and the killing by two Customs and Border Protection agents of Alex Pretti amid immigration enforcement operations in the city. Those operations and killings have sparked protests in Colorado and beyond.
The singing group in Denver included members from Colorado GALA Choruses, No Enemies, First Baptist Church of Denver, and community choirs from across the region.
Emily Lauher, with the protest choir No Enemies, says many of the songs sung on Saturday are originally Black spiritual songs that were sung by slaves, such as "We Shall Not be Moved." Some of those songs were sung in Spanish, the way they were by labor unions in San Antonio in the 1920s and during the farm workers' movement. She says the act is not only one of solidarity, but it's "therapeutic."
"This group are the Gala Choirs of Denver, the queer choirs of Denver, and they're singing to show our nation their solidarity with people in Minneapolis right now and with people all over our country who are discriminated against who can't raise their own voices," she said. "Hopefully, this is therapeutic for people who can hear us."
Harmony: A Colorado Chorale called the event a "living chorus," one that "carries grief, resolve, and hope in equal measure."
"No single voice leads. No single choir claims the stage. Instead, hundreds of voices blend, creating a sound that is both musical and civic," the group said in its statement.
Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has walked back some of the initial statements she made in the hours after Pretti was killed by CBP agents, telling Fox News, "we were being relayed information from on the ground from CBP agents and officers that were there. We were using the best information we had at the time, seeking to be transparent with the American people and get them what we knew to be true on the ground."
Border czar Tom Homan has taken over immigration operations in Minnesota after CBP commander-at-large Greg Bovino was relieved of his command.
Homan was sent to Minnesota at the president's request, and said "a lot of progress" has been made since he arrived on Thursday, and that he's "staying 'til the problem's gone."
"I didn't come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines," he said. "I came to seek solutions, and we've come a long way, and we've got some good wins for the people of Minnesota."
Back in Colorado, a weekend of protests is set to continue on Saturday with protests in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Grand Junction, and elsewhere.
Later in the evening, a larger "ICE Out" protest was starting to form at the State Capitol. Pierre Louis said he wants to see change and he wants to see ICE agents held accountable when they violate people's rights or hurt or kill them.
"All of the people here and who will be here later on, we all want the same thing, and we just keep fighting for change, and nothing keeps happening," he said. "My message to the government is 'you guys shouldn't be just sitting around. We need real change and you're the problem behind all this — the reason why we're out here.'"
Another series of events scheduled for Saturday includes memorial bike rides for Pretti, who was known among friends and families as an avid cyclist. Memorial rides were scheduled around the world, including in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, and across Europe.
Ryan Van Duzer organized the Boulder Alex Pretti Remembrance Ride, where he said he expected about 500 people, but saw over 1,000 attendees, including Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett.
He was inspired by a similar event originally organized in Minneapolis earlier this week.
"Boulder has a very strong cycling community, and on a personal level, I've been very frustrated and heartbroken by what I've seen happen in our country with ICE and how they're treating people and murdering people, and I was like, 'you know what? I'm going to put some of that negative energy into something good and round up the troops," he said. "I was definitely surprised by how many actually ended up showing up."
Van Duzer said he wanted the ride to be family-friendly and doable for any experience level, so it was about 6 miles and went from North Boulder Park, weaved through downtown Boulder, along the Boulder Creek Path back up to Canyon Boulevard and Broadway in the city, where they met up with a similarly-sized "ICE Out" protest. Van Duzer said he saw everyone from young children — some riding, others on the back of tandem bikes — up to elderly riders.
One rider brought 50 T-shirts with Pretti's face printed on them that he passed out, others hung signs from their bikes, while others honked horns and rang bells, according to Van Duzer.
"People were out there today who told me they had never been to a protest before today and this was their first one," he said. "It's not just a liberal, Boulder thing, because I know we get made fun of a lot for just being liberals over here, but there are a lot of frustrated people in this country and around this planet with what's happening with the Trump administration, and we're saying 'no.'"
