'Occupy Chicago' enters eleventh day of protest

The "Occupy Chicago" protest against corporate influence on the United States government has lasted for eleven straight days.

"Occupy Chicago" began on September 23, when around 20 people gathered at Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, and then marched to the Federal Reserve Bank to show their solidarity with the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters in lower Manhattan.

“We went from having just a handful of people at the beginning," one of the protesters, Mark Banks, told Chicagoist. "Now everyday there's dozens and dozens of people during the daytime and as the evening goes on, as people get out of school and out of work. Yesterday we had over 100 people at our last general assembly meeting, so the numbers are just going through the roof."

The protesters have remained camped outside the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. They said they had received $1500 in donations since the demonstration started.

The Chicago Police told the Associated Press that the demonstration had been "very peaceful" and that the police department had maintained open lines of communication with the group.

Unlike the larger "Occupy Wall Street" protest in lower Manhattan, no arrests have been made.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois sent someone to monitor the protest and has published a guide on "What to do if you are stopped by police."

Although most of the protesters are young, a 72-year-old woman told the Associated Press that she had been protesting 4 hours a day since last week.

Watch video of day 10 of the protest, uploaded to YouTube, below: