With American flags waving, a full moon and a bull horn as the backdrop, a small group of citizens gathered at the west entrance of the Colorado National Monument Wednesday evening. They gathered in protest of the government shutdown and the closure of all national monuments on the eve of a passing vote in both the House and Senate of a resolution to reopen the government. The groups’ intent was to reopen the Colorado National Monument themselves.

“This is what civil disobedience looks like. Break the chains,” the crowd chanted as they gathered to remove the first barrier blocking the roadway into the monument.

Although most people in attendance were part of the non-profit Mesa County Patriots, the group did not claim to have organized the event. Rather they referred it to the people of the local community. There were around twenty people who showed up and then proceeded to remove barriers and cut locks on the gates which held the public at bay during the government shutdown. The group stopped and gathered each time one of the four locks were cut and watched in support of this small act of civil disobedience. Even though there were many people within the group who took no part in the vandalism, each person still drove over the closed park road in defiance of the closure.

“This is for all those who fought and died for this great country,” protestors who cut the final lock said, opening the Colorado National Monument back to the public. “This land is not theirs to close. It is ours, and we should have access to it when we want to.”

ldaniel@mavs.coloradomesa.edu