EAU CLAIRE, CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WCFW) – Thousands of Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls residents took to the streets on Saturday as part of the nationwide No Kings rallies.

The day’s events began at Owen Park in Eau Claire where residents gathered with signs and inflatable costumes. Chippewa Valley Indivisible organized the local iterations of the nationwide No Kings event.

Cyndi Greening, an organizer with Chippewa Valley Indivisible, spoke with the Eau Claire crowd before officially launching the march. “At this crucial time our nation is calling us to service,” she said. “To be the heroes, to make sure that our America is a country with everyone included and no one left out.”

Saturday’s rally in Eau Claire was significantly larger than the previous No Kings event in June. Organizers estimated a little over 2,000 people attended that event. On Saturday, however, organizers estimated there were well over 6,000 people at the Eau Claire rally and around 550 at the downtown Chippewa Falls rally. Due to the increased size, organizers sent the protestors out on four different routes around Eau Claire.

Speaking on the turnout, Greening said “So the problem is we’re losing our rights left and right. Yes we’re losing our economy and we’re losing the things that keep us safe, but we’re also losing our rights. So I think that is motivating a lot of people being here.”

“Our life is just getting worse and worse and it’s more and more depressing, especially to us older people,” said Sue Decker at the Chippewa Falls rally. “We’ve known what freedom has been most of our life, and it’s not anymore. And what’s happening in the places and to the people that Trump considers an enemy is unfathomable.”

In addition to the larger crowds in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, Saturday also saw rallies held in more locations. Thousands of Wisconsin residents attended nearly 100 events across the state. National organizers estimate around 7 million people took part in over 2,600 protests across the country.

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