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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Bernie supporters march to continue movement

PHILADELPHIA — Blue shirts. Silver bikes. Black hats.

Lined with policemen and women, accompanied by bikes and cars, nearly 5,000 people marched from the south side of City Hall in Philadelphia toward the Wells Fargo Center to arrive just in time as roll call was going on within the convention.

Signs advertising slogans such as “A hawk is not a bird of peace,” “All lives matter when black lives matter,” “FCK DNC,” “Bernie or Bust” and “Shut down the DNC” were held by almost every individual joining the group.

After Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., announced once again his public support for former secretary of state Hillary Clinton as future president of the United States Monday evening of the convention, many of his devoted followers did not see his advice as an option.

The International Action Center, an anti-capitalist organization, and the Workers World Party were two of many groups featured in the rally known as “Shut Down the DNC!”

The Black Lives Matter movement, along with Pro-Palestine groups joined the mix as the crowd started to increase.

“We know there is something terribly flawed in this system,” the speakers of the movements shouted at the beginning of Broad Street.

Many reactions to Sanders’ speech were emotions of sadness from his large following on the streets.

“We support Bernie and everything he does,” Michelle Truskowski of Michigan said. “This is a corrupt political system and I can’t believe I’m living in America and living under this kind of hypocrisy.”

Truskowski said she will either still write in Sanders for president or end up siding with the Green Party, but Clinton will never be an option.

“I’m here to protest election fraud,” Dean Estrella of California said. “With Hillary Clinton as their nominee, the Democrats will lose in the general election.”

Every speaker that addressed the group on the makeshift microphone in the center of the gathering spoke of hatred toward the two-party system, the “rigged democratic party elections” and the sorrow they had for Sanders in relation to his speech.

“I don’t think a revolution can happen in a counter-revolutionary party,” Evan Maselli of Rhode Island said.

Earlier Tuesday morning, Sanders went to multiple delegation breakfasts to urge his supporters to side with Clinton and stop Republican pick Donald Trump. This push did not stop the thousands of people outside to form as one, supposedly all deeply devoted to Sanders.

Once the rally started to grow, the Black Democratic National Convention Resistance group joined the rally adding about 2,000 people to the mix, estimated by Philadelphia police.

The streets were lined at every corner blocking traffic with police human barricades and bikes lined up like fences, which prevented the march to move into the streets.

But this didn’t last for long when the cars covered in “Black Lives Matter” posters and banners drove into the mix, the police moved accordingly, still monitoring the movement.

People watching the march filled shop windows, building balconies and side streets that were not yet blocked off by police. People either stood in silence or silently chanted along to the cheers of hatred toward the DNC.

Following five blocks continuing down Broad Street, the majority of the movement died down and went on their separate ways. However, many continued on to Wells Fargo Center to rally in front of the delegates as roll call continued.

“We need to take the reins of our democracy back,” the crowd shouted with each step.

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