“I'm Here to Exercise My First Amendment Rights”

April 11, 2025

League of Women Voters of Montezuma County organizes local protest as part of its mission “to defend democracy”. By Deborah Uroda. This story is sponsored by FASTSIGNS and LOR Foundation.

Learn More...

Indivisible - https://indivisible.org/‍

League of WomenVoters Montezuma County - https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-montezuma-county
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FASTSIGNS - https://www.fastsigns.com/durango-co/‍

LOR Foundation - https://lorfoundation.org/

Read the Full Transcript

The League of Women Voters in Montezuma County expected about a hundred people to attend the Hands Off protest in Cortez on April 5th. Instead, more than 600 showed up. You're watching The Local News Network of Montezuma County, brought to you by Fastsigns and the LOR Foundation. I'm Sadie Smith. The unexpectedly large turnout for the Hands Off protest in Cortez was reflective of the millions who turned out nationwide. The Indivisible Project, a national nonprofit that organizes grassroots efforts to defend democracy estimated that more than 5.2 million protestors gathered at more than 1,600 sites nationwide. The organization had expected 500,000. The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County organized the local protest because of what chairwoman Karen Sheek called an erosion in the bounds of power between Congress, the President, and the judiciary.

Well, I think the League's greatest concern is that we're supposed to have a three-branch government, and we have an executive branch that's kind of trampling over the other two. And this is concerning because it's important for our democracy that all three of those branches operate the way they're supposed to.

In Cortez, couples with dogs, elders with walkers, and parents with strollers peacefully marched down Maine from the Colorado Visitor Center to the Cortez Cultural Center on Market Street where the march ended with a rally. Protestors decried the Trump administration's cuts to congressionally mandated programs including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They protested on elected billionaire Elon Musk's influence on government policy, and they wanted to protect their First Amendment right to free speech.

I'm here to protest the virtual taking over of our government. The Trump administration is wiping the floor with our Constitution. We have a person, Elon Musk, all of a sudden appears in power with more power than the President, and I'm tired of it. We're not looking for any confrontations. We're just exercising our First Amendment rights.

Although the protest lasted just a few hours, Sheek encouraged residents to continue to voice their concerns with local, state, and federal governments. Residents may keep up with government affairs and local political events by visiting the Montezuma County, League of Women Voters Facebook page. Thanks for watching this edition of The Local News Network. You can learn more about Montezuma County News at montezumalocal.news. I'm Sadie Smith.

Growing Community, Culture, and Climate-Adapted Crops

Pueblo Seed & Food Co. is a family-run organic farm and seed enterprise rooted in deep stewardship of land, seed, and community. Established in 1996 and now operating on irrigated acreage near Cortez, Colorado, the company grows a wide diversity of certified organic crops—open-pollinated seeds, chile peppers, varietal garlic, vegetables, legumes, and heritage grains—selling them as seeds, fresh produce, and handcrafted foods through their Seed & Bakehouse retail space. Their mission centers on renewing and strengthening community resilience by stewarding healthy seeds and food, guided by regenerative, biodynamic, and conservation farming traditions that honor both plant genetics and human stories. As winter approaches, Farm Direct Seed & Food Co. invites its community to celebrate the Winter Solstice Fundraiser on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at their downtown Cortez Bakehouse. This festive gathering not only marks the seasonal turning point with music, hands-on milling and baking, and holiday shopping, but also serves as a kickoff to their exciting new initiative—the Pueblo Seed & Grain Hub, developed in partnership with the Onward! Foundation to expand regional capacity for drought-tolerant grain and legume production. Join in the spirit of the season with whole grain cookies, community, and support for food and seed security in the Southwest. By Paige Sparks. This story is sponsored by Choice Building Supply and The LOR Foundation.

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