NATO Protesters Bike Through Highland Park

A group of protesters biking from Milwaukee to Chicago to protest the NATO summit made a pit stop in Highland Park on Friday morning.

The 12 riders from throughout Wisconsin and Indiana make up the Grassroutes Caravan, an activist group that has participated in protests around the midwest since 2008.

"We are totally peaceful," said Carl Sach, a Grassroutes members. "We're trying to get to the protest and exercise our right to free speech."

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Sach explained how the group has been biking to the protest in order to meet people in places along the way. They do performances and community service at their stops.

"We are trying to build community along the way," Sach said. "We want to build a better world as well as protest the militarism and unjust wars in this world."

Sach expressed some safety concerns about protesting the summit. Publications like the Wall Street Journal have reported on the tools police will use to keep the peace, including sound canons that can do irreversible hearing damage.

"We're concerned about riding into a police state and the violence that might be carried out by officers of the law," Sach said. He added, however, that it was important for large groups to protest in order exercise the right to free speech.

"The more people gather the more we protect our rights," Sach said. "You use them or you lose them."

The summit officially begins Sunday. Check out o

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