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Protesters will rally in Parker Saturday, despite safety concerns over conflicts with the Parker Days Festival.

PARKER, Colo. — A protest against President Trump and his policies will proceed Saturday in Parker, despite initial police concerns about safety conflicts with the town’s annual Parker Days Festival, which is expected to draw 350,000 attendees.

Carolyn Williamson, organizer of the “No Kings” rally in Parker, initially canceled the event after she said Parker Police told her they could not provide a permit due to safety reasons and stretched resources. However, she later decided to reinstate the protest.

“The police had told me we can’t give you a permit, and you need to cancel it because of safety reasons,” she said. “And because our resources are stretched, and I understood that.”

The protest is part of the nationwide “No Kings” day of protests targeting the Trump administration’s policies. Williamson said she organized the rally because “we are in a constitutional crisis, I believe democracy is under attack.”

“This is the time to stand up because we may not be able to do it much longer, if we don’t stand up,” she said. “I’m doing this for my children’s future and my granddaughter’s future, and also all of our neighbors may or may not be citizens, but have been in this country.”

The rally will take place along Parker Road, avoiding Main Street where the Parker Chamber of Commerce’s permitted Parker Days Festival is occurring. According to the town statement, Williamson never submitted a formal permit application and first contacted Parker Police last week, requesting officers for the rally she had already planned and announced publicly.

Town officials expressed disappointment that Williamson reinstated the event after acknowledging safety concerns.

“The Town had multiple conversations with Ms. Williamson last week regarding these public safety concerns. Based on those concerns, Ms. Williamson acknowledged the potential safety impacts and agreed to cancel the event,” according to the city statement.

The town had offered to work with Williamson to find an alternate date, and she initially expressed interest in rescheduling.

Williamson said he has spent weeks preparing signs and organizing volunteers to serve as safety marshals, photographers, and videographers. She emphasized the protest will remain peaceful, saying, “any violence is not going to come from my people.”

“We are trying to balance our right to protest and respect the festival that is so near and dear to everyone,” Williamson said.

The town acknowledged the challenging situation in its statement: “The Town of Parker absolutely recognizes individuals’ First Amendment rights but must balance those rights with the rights and safety of all others.”

With much of the town’s staffing and police resources allocated to managing Parker Days, officials noted this “significantly limits the remaining resources available to service the rest of the Town.”

However, the police department has increased general staffing levels to ensure safety for all individuals, the town said.

“The Town expects that the No Kings rally going forward in our community Saturday will proceed peacefully and without incident, both with respect to the participants and any other members of the public,” the statement said.

Despite her concerns about potential conflict, Williamson said she hopes the protest will promote dialogue and unity.