COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Demonstrators lined Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs on Saturday, calling on Congress to intervene and stop what they described as U.S. military action in Venezuela. The protesters urged the United States not to enter another war while chanting slogans like "Free Maduro" and "release the Epstein files."
"I feel like congress is not doing its job with checks and balances for the executive branch," Protester Lily Bethparrent said.
Demonstrator Debbie Ellington expressed concerns about the administration's motives, saying, "It is not about drugs. It is not about democracy, because I don't believe trump believes in democracy."
Katerina Jenkins, a protester, criticized the U.S. actions as overreach.
"We shouldn't be acting imperialism by kidnapping presidents. It's incredibly uncouth," Jenkins said.
Historical context and policy shift
UCCS Associate Political Science professor Dr. Steven Pittz, who is a department chair at the university, provided context for the recent developments. He described the move as part of a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy with deep historical roots.
"This is a return to more muscular, western hemispheric foreign policy for the United States where they want to dominate this part of world," Dr. Pittz said. "They're all, generally speaking, leftist governments which are anti freedom and nationalize resources."
When asked about the possibility of war, Pittz said the probability remains low.
Pittz noted that Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan leader who was captured, was not the duly elected leader of the South American country. He explained that Maduro's regime was an extension of the Hugo Chavez government, which oversaw a decline in quality of life that forced millions of Venezuelans to flee their homeland.
"What we've seen is a steady decline in the quality of life for Venezuelans," Pittz said.
Protesters question U.S. motives
Despite acknowledging Venezuela's problems under Maduro's leadership, protesters in Colorado Springs questioned why the United States was using force to remove him from power.
"I don't disagree Maduro is a bad person, but I don't think this is what this is about at all," one protester said.
The demonstrators argued that U.S. actions were motivated by economic interests rather than democratic ideals.
"It's become apparent our actions are not for democracy, but for capitalistic greed," a protester said.
Many protesters believe the administration's primary interest lies in Venezuela's oil resources and the financial benefits that come with controlling them, rather than genuinely helping to establish democracy in the nation.
One demonstrator highlighted domestic priorities, saying, "The Venezuelans were living under a horrible dictatorship. I'm not happy for those of us in the united states who need affordable housing and medical insurance and things in the United States that we need."
When asked if priorities were misplaced, the protester responded, "Exactly."
Uncertain future for Venezuela
Regarding who might replace Maduro, Pittz emphasized the importance of careful planning for both Venezuela and the United States.
"They're in a very precarious situation," Pittz said.
50501, a grassroots organization, planned the event.
The organization says that while the Venezuelan people may benefit from Maduro's removal, they believe that the people won't benefit from "having a leader chosen for them under the guise of fake democracy."
50501 states that the U.S. taking control of Venezuela's oil infrastructure could be "catastrophic," and that this situation could be compared to the relationship between the U.S. and Iran.
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