On October 18, 2025, the heart of downtown Denver pulsed with energy, tension, and the unmistakable sound of dissent. Thousands gathered for the city’s second “No Kings” protest of the year, a demonstration that was part of a sweeping national movement holding rallies across Colorado and hundreds of cities nationwide. But what began as a day of peaceful protest quickly became a flashpoint, drawing national attention after a dramatic and violent altercation was captured on video and spread rapidly across social media platforms.
The incident, now viral, unfolded as the protest march made its way down 17th Street toward Union Station. According to The Denver Gazette, the crowd was massive—at least twice as large as the city’s first “No Kings” rally, which itself had attracted between 10,000 and 20,000 people. Official estimates from the Colorado State Patrol put Saturday’s turnout at over 8,000 in Denver alone, with thousands more participating in towns from Grand Junction to Colorado Springs.
As the demonstration wound through downtown, a group of older men—many clad in New York Giants gear, in town for the following day’s football game—interjected themselves into the march. Eyewitnesses and video footage, as reported by The Denver Post and Westword, show a gray-haired man in a blue Giants shirt and black vest chanting “God Bless Trump!” and flipping off protesters. The situation escalated when the man, described as appearing to be in his sixties and surrounded by five or six similarly dressed companions, began yelling expletives and homophobic slurs at the crowd.
“They seemed inebriated. I had a feeling something was going to happen,” photographer Drew Kartos told The Denver Gazette. “They were definitely poking and prodding the protest marchers. Most people were kind of moving on, but then you see this kid come up and steal the guy’s glasses.”
The video, filmed by Kartos and posted online by Aaron Parnas, captures the moment a young man carrying a skateboard snatches the older man’s sunglasses and sprints away. The man gives chase, but in his haste, he slips and crashes face-first onto the pavement. Dazed but determined, he staggers to his feet and continues the pursuit, only to be tripped by another protester—a hooded man—sending him tumbling again, this time into the gutter. Blood streaming from a gash above his left eyebrow, the man pushes back into the crowd, shoving at least one protester as he tries to retrieve his stolen property. Some demonstrators attempt to calm him, pointing out his injury and urging him to seek medical attention.
According to The Denver Post, Denver police quickly intervened, launching an investigation into the incident. By Monday, authorities had arrested 20-year-old Jose Cardenas, who witnesses identified as the individual responsible for tripping the older man. Police tracked Cardenas from Wynkoop Street, where the assault occurred at about 2:30 p.m., to North Lincoln Street near 14th Avenue, where he attempted to flee. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and transported to Denver Jail. “Cardenas was transported to the Denver Jail and charged with aggravated assault,” the police statement read. The victim, whose identity remains unknown, suffered what police described as “a serious laceration to his head.”
The case remains under investigation, with Denver police confirming to TMZ that the individual who stole the sunglasses has not been arrested. The department emphasized that the man who shouted obscenities and slurs at protesters was not taken into custody, as his actions, while inflammatory, fell under the protection of free speech. “Screaming obscenities would fall under free speech. The victim was not arrested,” a police spokesperson told The Denver Gazette on Monday.
Kartos, reflecting on the incident, offered a sobering perspective: “Two wrongs don’t make a right. At the same time, there’s definitely no place for hate speech or homophobic slurs. It’s very unwise to walk past a demonstration and try to aggravate the participants.”
The “No Kings” protest was not without other confrontations. Throughout the day, tensions simmered between demonstrators, counter-protesters, and law enforcement. According to Westword, the event splintered into three separate marches, with police reporting that nearly all of the day’s dozen arrests occurred during these later offshoots. Charges ranged from graffiti and possession of a knife to assaulting a peace officer. The police used smoke grenades and pepper balls to disperse crowds near Coors Field as the demonstration wound down around 4 p.m., and additional arrests occurred between 6 and 7 p.m. at West Sixth Avenue and Santa Fe Drive.
This was not the first time a “No Kings” event in Denver had turned contentious. Previous protests in the city had seen altercations between demonstrators and counter-protesters, with some incidents resulting in hospitalizations. In February, a local man named David Halverson pled guilty to charges stemming from a bottle-throwing incident at a protest, and in June, both conservative and immigrant rights activists reported being attacked at separate rallies.
The broader “No Kings” movement, which aims to challenge authoritarianism and promote democratic values, has drawn a diverse coalition of supporters. Saturday’s rally, according to overhead photos published by The New York Times, filled nearly every square foot of the Colorado State Capitol grounds and Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park. Observers noted that the October 18 demonstration was at least twice the size of the first “No Kings” rally earlier in the year, a testament to the movement’s growing momentum.
Yet the day’s events have sparked debate about the boundaries of protest, free expression, and accountability. While many in the community condemned the use of slurs and hate speech, others questioned whether physical retaliation—no matter the provocation—can ever be justified. The arrest of Jose Cardenas, contrasted with the lack of charges against the man who instigated the confrontation, has fueled conversations about how law enforcement navigates the line between protecting free speech and ensuring public safety.
As Denver and cities across the nation continue to grapple with these complex questions, Saturday’s protest stands as a vivid reminder of the passions, divisions, and challenges that define the current moment. The “No Kings” movement shows no sign of slowing down, and neither, it seems, do the debates about how best to exercise—and protect—the freedoms at the heart of American democracy.
