Hundreds of people gathered Saturday afternoon in Loveland for a “Back the Blue” demonstration to show support for local law enforcement.
People lined both sides of Eisenhower Boulevard by Lake Loveland waving American flags, thin blue line flags and signs in support of police, receiving near constant honks of support from passing cars, some of which drove by waving American flags.
At one point a Loveland police car drove through with its sirens blaring, to loud cheers.
Ron Weinberg, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said he counted over 350 people in attendance.
“This is phenomenal,” he said.
Bob Garner stood at the corner of Dwayne Webster Veterans Park with a Betsy Ross flag, which he said he liked because it represents America’s original principles.
“Police have a very dangerous job,” he said. “Most of them are good men and women who want to do the right thing.”
Kurt Winkelhake came to the gathering holding a “We heart LPD” sign. He said he feels police officers are getting “the short end of the stick” and he wanted to show his support.
Kathy Norton waved to passers-by while holding a sign saying “back the blue.” Norton said she interacts with police frequently at her job at Chick-Fil-A and that “they’ve always been respectful and they’ve always done a good job.”
Several Loveland City Council members were present, including John Fogle and Steve Olson. Olson said that he wasn’t surprised by the large turnout, and wanted to attend to show his support as a council member.
Just yesterday, he said, a Loveland police officer helped his wife after her car overheated at an intersection and made sure that she was safe.
“Police departments throughout the nation have taken a lot of heat and we want our department to know that we appreciate them,” he said.
Loveland teenagers Josh Kobobel, 18, and his brother Justin Kobobel, 17, came out to counterprotest. The brothers said that they wanted to come out to show that there were people in Loveland with another opinion.
They said that people had expressed anger at their signs, one of which said “stop killer cops,” and several people followed them around the gathering, including pursuing them back and forth across Eisenhower Boulevard. At one point a man approached them asking if they were being paid to protest.
“We have a right to protest too,” Justin said.
“When they say slogans like ‘black lives matter’ they’re actually communists,” said Jacob Garcia about the counterprotesters.
Garrett Hanawatt, who was waving an American flag and wearing a Second Amendment shirt styled like a football jersey, said he came down from Fort Collins to participate. He said he has several friends who are police officers and wanted to support them.
He was happy with the large turnout, which shows that “people who care about and support law enforcement are in the majority,” he said.
Lifelong Loveland resident Amy Bonner was at the gathering with a sign expressing thanks to the Loveland Police Department, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Justin Smith, who she said she is a fan of.
She has friends and family in the Loveland police and fire departments, and said she was happy at how many people had attended the event.
“This shows how much strength and patriotism we have here,” she said.
A similar “Back the Blue” event will be held Sunday in Berthoud from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fickel Park at 620 Mountain Ave.
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July 26, 2020 at 07:41AM
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Hundreds gather by Lake Loveland for ‘Back the Blue’ demonstration Saturday - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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