J20 Inauguration day in Denver

It was just another presidential inauguration day......

There was lots of hype from law enforcement and the media about armed or violent pro- Trump protests on inauguration day. Word on the street was that Trump supporters were gathering at the Capitol and a loose collective of leftist groups under the banner of Denver Communists was determined to counter protest the "patriot" presence.

They gathered at Cheeseman Park once again prepared to march down Colfax.

The group had speeches and reviewed its plan of march and what to do if arrested. These were very professional protesters that came very prepared. They were most definitely spoiling for a fight with any militia types at the Capitol.

Police were pretty present throughout the neighborhood on SUVs, motorcyles and armored vehicles. Apparently they were approaching protesters as they arrived at the park, confiscating items like goggles.

After a review of the game plan....off they went.

Out of the park and down Colfax they went.

Chanting: "Fuck Joe Biden, Fuck Donald Trump too, They don't give a fuck about you"

Legal observers were in attendance on this march as well. Most likely coordinated by the organizers.

The same First Bank that had its windows broken in November (see Post Election article from Nov 5) was not taking any chances this time. They were one of the only buildings this far east that was boarded up.

Upon arrival at the Capitol they were expecting a pro-Trump groups (as there had been on Jan 6) but only found a single anti abortion protested.

This guy was there however. I didn't get a chance to talk to him and I regret that!

And a guy who seemed to be sympathetic to the cause but was not able to tolerate the flag burning. Some of the more hardcore members tried to push him around and he kept coming back objecting to the flag burning saying he "was American." I think the general consensus was that he was not quite right in the head and eventually the police stepped in and pulled him to safety. You can see protesters pulling their own away from him.

The crowd reacted pretty aggressively to the State Patrol cops stepping in and they wisely pulled back and let the small crowd of 125+ or so make its speeches. In my opinion the police de-escalated well and the crowd lost interested in them. Had they copped an attitude, the crowd would have raised the stakes. Police in Denver have learned a lot since June.

It is my take that a large part of this crowd was looking for a fight with the Trump supporters. The pre-march prep discussed tactics to remain anonymous and what to say to police in case you were detained. They certainly looked ready for a scrap. They didn't get one from the cops and neither from the non existent fascists. Well....except for this guy. Who was not there long.

I left and the crowd stayed and actually grew to maybe 175-200 people and it marched to the police station, the court house and back to the Capitol. No violence, no broken windows and no big issues (that I saw). It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of First Amendment expression.

In many regards, this counter protesting of fascists is the essence of antifa as a movement. Inspired by anti-fascist groups in 1930s Europe, a core principle is to totally oppose fascistic movements - even with violence. As we all look forward, we'll want to consider who benefits from these actions. Even if you're not a communist, if you are concerned about populist fascism, maybe these guys are providing a service to the community at large?

I don't know. Or maybe they're just making it worse?

And as dark and ominous as all this can sound....I saw this as I left the area.