DENVER (AP) - Several thousand people walked through snowy Denver on Monday to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in the city’s 31st annual “marade.”
The crowd in the combination march and parade made its way down Colfax Avenue, chanting and holding signs expressing love for King and opposition to President-elect Donald Trump, The Denver Post (https://dpo.st/2jhlHLm ) reported.
“I’m still trying to process the election,” said Danielle Ryan, a Denver resident who was participating for the sixth time in the event. “I like to come out to events like this because they give me energy.”
The crowd was smaller than the past two years. Vern Howard, chairman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission, blamed the weather and a disruption last year by the Denver chapter of Black Lives Matters.
Last year, demonstrators protesting the death of a man in Denver’s jail briefly took over the stage during speeches traditionally delivered by lawmakers. The protesters yielded, but some in the crowd jeered Denver Mayor Michael Hancock when he spoke.
This year, some in the crowd heckled U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman because of his vote to repeal the federal health care law. The Republican from Denver’s eastern suburbs didn’t acknowledge the hecklers and later marched.
Some people were angry with Coffman after he left a public meeting in his district on Saturday before talking to them about his vote.
Denver got several inches of snow but it eased by the time the march started.
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