Indivisible Montezuma County held a rally Tuesday with a larger-than-expected turnout. Protesters lined the Main Street sidewalk at Veterans Park, holding signs for two hours as cars honked while passing.
Organizers said the event aimed to express public outcry over the Jan. 6 riot five years ago and what they described as a lack of accountability for the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A Democratic county commissioner candidate spoke and announced a campaign, but organizers emphasized the event was nonpartisan and open to anyone supporting progressive causes.
“This is not a Democrat rally. This is nonpartisan,” said main organizer Julia Anderson.
“The Democrats asked if they could come to our rally. We said sure, and if the Republicans want to ask and come to rallies, they’re more than welcome to ask us to join us.”
Despite that, many signs expressed frustration with the current presidential administration and called for action from Congress.
Anderson said the group is locally organized and funded without outside political backing.
“We are not funded by Democrats. We are not funded by anybody,” she said. “We get our signs made downtown supporting local business or we make them ourselves. Everyone is from here.”
She said the emphasis on local participation responds to persistent rumors at previous rallies.
“Every, single rally, someone has stopped and said, ‘Where are you from?’” she said. “Like, ‘Where did they bus you in from to do this? Because nobody in Cortez would be doing this.’”
This was the first rally where no one questioned whether participants were local, Anderson said.
The rally, held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., drew more than 175 attendees at its peak, exceeding organizers’ expectations for a weekday event.
A vehicle parked near Veterans Park had a rear passenger-side window shattered. Cortez police took a report, but the cause has not been confirmed. Other rallygoers said protesters’ cars were targeted at a previous rally.
Anderson said the rally aimed to give residents a space to express concern.
“It’s a chance to express genuine outrage at how we are ignoring an insurrection at our Capitol by our sitting president,” she said. “We are outraged.”
Several attendees said they felt isolated or hopeless after national political developments. Organizers said the gathering helped counter those feelings and gave people a sense of action.
“If we got 50, I’d be thrilled,” Anderson said, adding that the turnout appeared to grow as national and international political tensions escalated in recent days.
