(CBS4) DENVER A group of Colorado Springs bar owners hope Denver bars will join their protest against the state smoking ban.

The group said business has dropped sharply due to the smoking ban and they're looking for ways to beat it.

Bruce Hicks, who is promoting the civil disobedience, met with Denver area bar owners Wednesday.

"Put a civil disobedience sign on their front door, and they would have to allow smoking in their bar and they would have to be open about it and they would have to generate some citations," Hicks said.

He has been letting people smoke in his Colorado Springs tavern for several weeks. He wants more bar owners to join in.

"I feel like there are a lot of bar owners whoo were mad," Hicks said. "I'm not sure a lot of the bar owners really want to risk getting into the protest, but there seems to be a lot of support."

Hicks has been cited for violating the smoking ban. He plans to take the citations to court for a jury trial, and thinks he'll win. He hopes winning the cases will prove the smoking ban is illegal.