Thousands Gather For Rally Along Division Street [PHOTOS]

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Thousands of people lined Division Street in front of the St. Cloud Library on Saturday as part of a nationwide protest. The No Kings rallies took place in St. Cloud and around the state to show people's displeasure with the Trump Administration's policies. Rally Organizer Jill Kelly says the protests bring a message of hope and community:

"To see all these people come together as a community, we're not alone; there are far more of us than there are of them. This, I think, brings hope to everybody to stand out here together and to fight for what is right."

Kelly says they are fighting for the Bill of Rights we are given, and they are out there saying no, you can't take those freedoms away.

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Several top Republicans called the protests anti-American, but Kelly, with Americans for Democracy, says those comments couldn't be more wrong:

"It's so far from true, I mean, these are Americans that truly love their country, I truly love my country, we all love our country, and that's why we're out here, and it's really unfortunate that those comments have been made because it's so far from the truth."

Kelly says they are peacefully protesting not only this Saturday but every Saturday on Division Street in front of Barnes and Noble, and they welcome everyone to join them.

In addition to the protest, there was a food drive with all the food collected being donated to St. Cloud Catholic Charities and the St. Joseph Food Bank. The rally was scheduled to run from Noon to 2:00 p.m., but many people started lining up earlier. Organizers were hoping to have over 5,000 people in attendance when the protest was done.

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