DENVER - Thousands of people marched through downtown Denver and across Colorado on Saturday to speak out against the Trump administration, resulting in rolling road closures and at least eight arrests.At least 14 "No Kings" pro tests were planned across the state, including in Denver, Genesee and Loveland.While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, Denver police said some demonstrators blocked a road near Coors Field. Officers trying to keep the crowd off the highway used smoke and pepper balls to break up the group, taking eight people into custody.Jennifer Bradley, an organizer for the Denver protest, said this is the third "No Kings" event. The protests focus on getting people involved in issues ranging from criticizing the war in Iran to opposing ICE raids."What we're doing matters, that the people see that we're here for them, that we're fighting for them," Bradley said."We're standing up for the people and the natural rights that people deserve," she added.Bradley recognizes that not everyone is going agree with the message."Were allowed to disagree. I thoroughly disagree with what you say, but Ill defend to the death your right to say it," Bradley told Denver7's Tyler Melito.Student organizer McKenzee Hales said she believes getting young people involved is especially necessary."I think it's imperative that we come together and we stand up for this, because ultimately, you know, we're going to have to be the ones that have to live with the with the decisions that are being made today," she said.The White House dismissed the protests on Friday."The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them," a spokeswoman said.Colorado critics also argued the messaging of the "No Kings" protests is unclear. Jon Caldara, president of the conservative think tank Independence Institute, called the protests "large-scale temper tantrums.""How can we have a king when a man was duly elected, and everyone agrees he won this election; he's the president," Caldara said.Caldara thinks No Kings protesters should self-reflect."I don't think these people going to these protests realize how self-defeating they are, because it was a lot of these policies that the left put in that created Trump," Caldara said.Despite the criticism and arrests, organizers remained focused on the tens of thousands of people who made their voices heard across Colorado."It tells me people are ready to fight and to me thats a beautiful thing," Bradley said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less