Protestors against President Trump line up outside Air Force Academy

Signs and cheers filled a section of the road outside the Air Force Academy as people stood in a peaceful protest against President Trump’s arrival in Colorado Springs.

Some people driving by supported the protest; while others, not so much.

Bill Thomas, organizer of Thursday’s protest explained why they were outside the graduation ceremony.

“We are all Americans, and we have First Amendment rights, we appreciate that,” said Thomas. “I mean that’s one of the many reasons why we served, is to make sure those rights are protected.”

And Thomas stresses that this is not about the cadets graduating today.

Thomas said, “We respect everything that they’ve done. We know they have worked hard to get where they are, and they are some of the finest people that we have in our country.”

Mary Sprunger-Froese, holding one end of a sign with her friend, stood proud in her protest. She says that even if the president wasn’t going to be here today, she says she still would have been here standing up for what she believes in.

“It’s critical. I believe our whole world is depending on us to find peaceful ways to resolve conflicts, otherwise, we are all in a destructive spiral,” Sprunger-Froese said.

Thomas says that he’s proud of the turnout today and out of respect for the cadets ended today’s protest before the graduation started.

“We recognize and respect the folks coming through the Academy, but we also want to speak our voice and our conscious about this,” said Thomas.