FORT COLLINS, Col.— Another round of protests was sparked in Fort Collins on Tuesday, June 2, after an Instagram post went viral inviting people to join in a unity march.
The independently organized protest began on the Oval in front of the Administration Building, where there was a short speech, followed by a march to City Hall along Howes Street.
The march was a peaceful demonstration unaffiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement, according to organizer Aram Sahakyan; however, it was inspired by and dedicated to it.
The lawn in front of the Administration Building was nearly full as protesters gathered. According to the Fort Collins Police Department (FCPD), there is no estimate for crowd attendance, as they don’t have a mechanism to provide accurate data.
During the march, protesters chanted “Black lives matter” and “Don’t shoot” as they took up several city blocks in length.
Sahakyan, a recent philosophy graduate of Colorado State University (CSU), shared a post inviting others to join him in a walk to City Hall to celebrate the Black Lives Matter movement and support racial unity. The post that was originally shared on Instagram quickly reached larger audiences and was shared throughout Facebook and Reddit. The post asked attendees to wear a mask and remain socially distant, and strictly condemned any acts of violence or aggression.
