Fact check: How many people attended the Chicago No Kings protest yesterday?

1. Summary of the results

The exact attendance at the Chicago No Kings protest is subject to significant discrepancy in reporting. While Chicago police estimated 15,000 attendees, protest organizers claimed a much higher number of 80,000 people at Daley Plaza ^[1]. Early reports showed about 1,000 people gathering at Daley Plaza before the protest began ^[2], which then grew to "thousands" as protesters marched through Michigan Avenue, Dearborn Street, and State Street ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The Chicago protest was part of a much larger national movement:

• The ACLU reported over 5 million participants across 2,100 rallies nationwide ^[4]
• The protest wasn't limited to downtown Chicago - demonstrations occurred in multiple suburban locations including Evanston, Oak Park, Des Plaines, Highland Park, and Geneva ^[2]
• The No Kings organization had anticipated "millions" taking to the streets across the U.S. ^[5]
• A "massive crowd" was specifically noted at Trump Tower, separate from the main demonstration ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several factors contribute to the varying attendance numbers:

• Law enforcement vs. organizer estimates: There's a significant gap between police estimates ^{[6] [7]} and organizer claims ^{[8] [7] [1]}
• Organizational bias: Indivisible Chicago's prediction of "tens of thousands" ^[2] suggests they may have had an interest in promoting higher attendance numbers
• Multiple locations: The protest spread across various locations in Chicago and suburbs, making exact counting difficult ^[2]
• Moving crowds: The fact that protesters marched through multiple streets ^[3] rather than staying in one location could lead to double-counting or undercounting depending on the counting methodology