CHICAGO _ As a drizzling rain mostly subsided, Women's March Chicago supporters and elected officials marched from Grant Park to Federal Plaza before moving on to Trump ToAwer where it ended Saturday afternoon.
Organizers gave a rough crowd estimate of "tens of thousands" for the event, which had largely concluded by 1 p.m.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, at the front of the procession, said that as a "mother of a daughter," she wants to work to ensure she inherits a "better, stronger" world.
"We cannot rest on our laurels," she said, standing under a bright purple "Start" banner.
Unlike in past years, Women's March Chicago 2020 didn't include a formal rally or scheduled programming beforehand. This year's march-only format included what organizers dubbed a "gallery of issues," with each block of the procession dedicated to a different cause: the 2020 Census, health care access, gun violence, climate change and encouraging voting.
Cook County board president Toni Preckwinkle joined Lightfoot near the front. She urged people to participate in the November elections.
"I think this march is a good beginning," Preckwinkle said.
As the procession moved west on Adams and passed the Climate Justice signs, a man yelled: "It shouldn't be raining in January!"
Marchers arrived at Federal Plaza shortly after 11:30 a.m., chanting "Trump Pence Out Now," "This is what a feminist looks like," and "Vote him out!"
Standing in the plaza with two friends she would march with, 24-year-old Elena Vera said she felt energized by the march and what she felt were important issues on display, like immigration.
Vera said she feels Illinois has an important place in the movement, as it sits surrounded by mostly red states.
"There are so many important issues," she said.
The crowd began to disperse from Federal Plaza shortly before noon, though many headed to Trump Tower.
"We are marching to Trump Tower," a woman shouted from a megaphone as marchers moved headed east on Jackson.
As they got closer to the tower, police officers on bicycles moved the crowds to the sidewalk as it marched north on State Street. They chanted: "Trump says America first. We say humanity first."
Around 12:15 p.m., the marchers swarmed the area around Trump Tower, chanting: "Trump Pence Out Now." Horse patrols arrived as a large crowd stayed in place.
Gigi Jaback, 56, wore a pink hat outside Trump Tower and held a large sign that said: "The future is female." The Joliet resident has been to the past Women's Marches in Chicago, and said the turnout this year felt smaller than in past years.
"Maybe people are just tired," she said.
The decision of many marchers to head to Trump Tower was organic and not part of the formal program, organizers said, but also wasn't surprising given the fervent opposition against President Trump.
Women's March Chicago board member Harlene Ellin described the energy level as high along the March route, and said it seemed anecdotally that more men appeared to participate compared to past events.
"I felt the presence of more men in the crowd," she said "I know men come as allies. But I also felt that our focus on universal issues _ climate justice, the Census, voting might have driven even more to join in."
About a half-hour before kick-off, a crowd of hundreds _ some keeping warm in iconic pink cat-eared hats _ waited at Grant Park.
A loud beating of drums pulsated at the scene as supporters maneuvered around several inches of snow on the ground, raising their homemade signs in the light drizzle.
As Highland Park natives Rami Apelian and his 9-year-old son Jaser waited for things to begin near Columbus and Jackson drives, the boy held a sign that urged men to stand up with women.
"It's my generation's duty to teach the next generation," Rami Apelian said. "Equal means equal."
Nicole Nowicki and Hannah Stanley from Mundelein, excited for their first Women's March. And the first election year the teens will be old enough to cast their ballots.
"I just read there's going to be rain? Time to convert my umbrella into a sign!" one marcher said on Facebook.
