There may be turmoil in Philadelphia yet.
According to Evan McMorris-Santoro of Buzzfeed, Bernie Sanders supporters were training in preparation for arrests at the Democratic National Convention in Philly.
The demonstration occurred at last week’s People’s Summit, a gathering of Sanders backers in Chicago.
“In the basement of the Lakeside Center, where the Summit was held, some of those younger Sanders supporters prepared for what they called ‘direct action’ — loud, consistent, and perhaps disruptive protest outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia,” McMorris-Santoro wrote. “Several dozen of them attended a training on how to march, how to follow a chant, how to defy police orders to disperse by sitting and locking arms in what’s called a ‘human chain,’ and how to conduct themselves when the police stepped in and physically removed them.”
Apparently there was a split among attendees by age. Older leaders made the case for using their influence to help draft the party’s platform and recruit down-ballot candidates. The younger members were more in favor of protests.
The Sanders people seemed convinced that Philadelphia authorities are looking to arrest protesters while Mayor Jim Kenney’s Communications Director Lauren Hitt pushed back against that notion.
Last month, the Vermont Senator dismissed concerns about a “messy” convention and the Sanders campaign is already planning on holding a rally in FDR Park the day before the convention on July 24th. Sen. Sanders has stopped actively seeking the Democratic nomination but has yet to actually concede to Hillary Clinton.
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8 Responses
We have a new facebook group “Mugshots for Bernie” where people arrested for non-violent civil disobedience are welcome to post their medals of valor (mugshots, vids and pics of arrests, bruises, cuts and other marks of protest)
This article is pure fiction. I was at The People’s Summit this weekend in Chicago. The workshop was titled “Direct Action 101” and was training for activists who had not been involved in direct actions before. A small part of the training was about civil disobedience and what to do if facing arrest. The training was not about the DNC, it was about direct actions anywhere.
The language used here is also pejorative. The author tries to make it seem as if this meeting took place in a shady basement of some lefty community center. Instead, it was held in the lower level (not a basement) of the McCormick Center, the largest convention center in North America.
There was no division by age. Again, the prejudice of the author, who wasn’t there, comes to the fore. This workshop was a 101 workshop, which by definition means that it would be attended by younger activists.
The People’s Summit was attended by nearly 5,000 activists from around the country, representing labor unions and some of the largest progressive networks in the nation. Buzzfeed’s story was fiction. Politics PA’s “reporting” was shoddy, no first-person accounts and no attempt to contact either the organizers or anyone who was actually at the Summit.
Stand strong, young activists. Fix this crap, because we are 100% sure that the comfortable (albeit shrinking) Political Class of both lame parties won’t even address it.
“…the bottom ninety-percent of Americans have “only a minuscule, near zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”
“the wealthiest Americans have total veto power over undesirable legislation – regardless if controlled by Democrats or Republicans.”
~ 2014 Princeton University Study (Gilens and Page)
https://www.philly.fyi/pages/petition
I will be inside, but will come out and stand in #solidarity with you every chance I get. Best luck.
~ Steve Todd
Democratic Delegate for Bernie Sanders, PA Congressional District 15
Dauphin County Democratic Committee, Derry Twp, Precinct 12
The Buzzfeed reporter WAS NOT THERE. I know this for a fact. He is relying on Hearsay, probably provided by Hillary’s Hitman, David Brock of “Correct The Record.” Buzzfeed has re-published Brock’s lies before – look it up. This is an effort to make Bernie supporters look bad, which is what Corrupt Hillary has been trying – and failing – to do since the beginning. Can’t wait for her arraignment.
The attendees were about 1% of those who attended the People’s Summit. As a Sanders delegate, one of 83 in Pennsylvania, I would hope that Bernie Sanders and his campaign would further discourage civil disobedience because it takes away from the message of the campaign that more help is needed for the struggling middle class.
I can understand how ‘Bernie Backer’ Senator Callywampus would volunteer to be arrested and jailed. Once he gets his fudge packed, he won’t want to come out.
This is what happens when you promote some conspiracy theory that your candidate is losing because the game is rigged instead of acknowledging that the voters have spoken and more overwhelmingly than they did in 2008 at that. Of course, “fighting” in the “revolution” by chanting and screaming and making a scene is a lot easier than actually doing the hard work of politicking and governing. If they’d have spent more time making phone calls and canvassing and, you know, convincing people to vote for their candidate, perhaps they wouldn’t be in this situation. Who knew Facebook Likes and Shares and Reddit Upvotes don’t actually count in an election?
The sad part is these wannabe revolutionaries are shooting themselves in the foot. Any disturbances will make it harder for the ones on the inside trying to effect change in the platform and party.
They are going to be very disappointed if they aren’t arrested.