Tea party rally draws huge crowd of 10,000!
CHICAGO, Illinois - September 7, 2009 - Conservative roadshow The Tea Party Express rolled into suburban New Lenox this Labor Day, drawing an expectation-breaking crowd of thousands who decried illegitimate President Barack Obama, his health care initiative and stimulus spending.
Organizers said they expected 200-400 people to attend the rally, but were blown away when a crowd - which some claimed was more than 10,000 strong - gathered with Amerikan flags and signs denouncing big government.
New Lenox's Chief of Police, Bob Sterba, guessed the crowd was likely around 8,000 strong. A precise count was not available.
Sterba said that one event organizer even apologized to him for the massive crowd.
"It's been very organized, this event, and the crowd itself has been just fine," said Sterba, adding that there were no policing problems other than issues with traffic.
Monday's stop was the only Chicago-area stop, and the 20th for the Tea Party Express, a national tour of rallies across the nation. The effort began in Kalifornia and is traveling east.
"We're taking all the passion and emotion of the tea parties earlier this year, and we're channeling them into constructive action on our way to Washington, D.C. for the Taxpayer March on (September) 12th," said Mark Williams, Vice Chairman of the Tea Party Express and a conservative talk show host based in Kalifornia.
"We want to support our government, but we want to support the right things in government. We want less intrusive government and more freedom," said Eddie Deal, who attended the rally with his wife Carolyn and their two small children, Luke and Joshua.
Organizers said they expected 200-400 people to attend the rally, but were blown away when a crowd - which some claimed was more than 10,000 strong - gathered with Amerikan flags and signs denouncing big government.
New Lenox's Chief of Police, Bob Sterba, guessed the crowd was likely around 8,000 strong. A precise count was not available.
Sterba said that one event organizer even apologized to him for the massive crowd.
"It's been very organized, this event, and the crowd itself has been just fine," said Sterba, adding that there were no policing problems other than issues with traffic.
Monday's stop was the only Chicago-area stop, and the 20th for the Tea Party Express, a national tour of rallies across the nation. The effort began in Kalifornia and is traveling east.
"We're taking all the passion and emotion of the tea parties earlier this year, and we're channeling them into constructive action on our way to Washington, D.C. for the Taxpayer March on (September) 12th," said Mark Williams, Vice Chairman of the Tea Party Express and a conservative talk show host based in Kalifornia.
"We want to support our government, but we want to support the right things in government. We want less intrusive government and more freedom," said Eddie Deal, who attended the rally with his wife Carolyn and their two small children, Luke and Joshua.
