( CNN ) -- By day , tens of thousands turned out in cities across Egypt -- demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak , calling for major economic and political reforms and , in multiple spots , bloodily clashing with police forces . By night , with the security forces seemingly disappeared , some had stepped back to mourn those killed , treat their wounds or gather strength . Other citizens , meanwhile , gathered whatever weapons they could find as they banded together with friends , family and neighbors to protect their communities from roving bands of looters . `` There 's no army , no one to prevent ( theft and chaos ) . They disappeared , '' said one man from a Cairo suburb on Saturday night , who united with friends , cousins and neighbors to protect their property . Closer to the capital 's center , as well as in Alexandria and Suez , the main events earlier Saturday were turn-outs by tens of thousands of demonstrators . For the fifth straight day , they held up signs and shouted for an end to Mubarak 's 30-year reign , unsatisfied with his newly shuffled government . `` What 's happened to our president ? '' said one woman in Cairo , wearing a black veil . `` We do n't want him ( because ) he 's responsible for all this . '' But her anger was tempered by satisfaction that people had turned out , in such large numbers , to express their views after decades of silence and suppression . `` I am happy , '' she said . `` I feel yes , we can change . '' In Alexandria , protests have gained strength during the course of the week . Throngs chanted Saturday , `` We want him out , we want him gone , Mubarak has to go . '' One demonstrator told CNN 's Nic Robertson that Mubarak , after an early Saturday speech signaling his intent to reorganize his government but stay in power , was trying to challenge demonstrators . He said his decision to implement a curfew , which extended from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. , was irrelevant and suggested that the opposition is only getting stronger and bolder . `` He can not order us , he 's not the president anymore , '' the man said . `` He wants to calm us down by saying he will stay . That is not calming us down . '' There were also tears Saturday , the result of mounting casualties from sporadic confrontations between demonstrators and police . At one point , the body of a man , apparently killed while trying to approach the Interior Ministry , was carried through the streets , wrapped in an Egyptian flag . Also in Cairo , a mosque was turned into a makeshift clinic . There , a handful of men came in with wounds from what appeared to be rubber pellets fired by police , they told CNN , . And at least 31 people were killed in Alexandria , Egypt , hospital authorities told CNN . Besides civic discontent and violence , general lawlessness was also pervasive -- especially in areas outside the city centers , which were largely free of any police or military presence . Looters , some sporting swords and riding motorcycles , had infiltrated numerous public and private buildings . While there were reports of a large gun battle Saturday night , they largely went unbothered by security forces , though not as often by residents . Fires could be seen in several Cairo neighborhoods , set by people paying no heed to the government-imposed curfew . People also continued to roam the streets , in what was in some ways one of the quietest nights since the protests began earlier this week . An increasing number of residents , fearful given the apparent absence of any official security apparatus , had taken matters into their own hands . They worked together to set up barricades around some streets . Many -- including the wife of CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman -- handed out clubs , kitchen knives and whatever other implements they could find to trustworthy men and teenagers who could help ward off looters . This sense of community and desire for protection was evident early Sunday outside the famed Egyptian Museum , home to King Tut and other milllenia-old relics of the nation 's storied past . Army tanks surrounded the museum , with some soliders standing inside its garden . In front , mostly euphoric civilians stood arm-in-arm -- in solidarity with the military and in defense of some of Egypt 's greatest treasures . Still , there was also ample evidence of chaos and destruction . Numerous police stations had been burned and ransacked . And private businesses also were hit , including several shops in an upscale Cairo neighborhood . Residents said they were worried about possible anarchy and prisoners escaping from jails . Others told CNN they worry that the chaos is President Hosni Mubarak 's strategy -- that all the crime could turn people against the protesters , and build favor for the government security forces to restore order . Shereif Abdelbaki , a resident of Cairo , said he saw people burning cars and taking parts from a junkyard . He said the police had withdrawn or were otherwise occupied , while the Army was downtown , leaving community members to work together or fend for themselves to protect property . `` We have all become vigilantes , '' he said . `` Basically , it 's like the Wild West . Where is the security ? '' CNN 's Ben Wedeman , Nic Robertson , Mary Rogers and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report .
NEW : Civilians stand arm-in-arm in front of tanks to protect famed Egyptian Museum . Protesters turn out in droves for a fifth day , demanding President Mubarak 's ouster . Casualties mount , too , in Cairo and Alexandria , after demonstrators clash with police . Still , police are largely absent in many areas , contributing to widespread looting .