I Crashed A Bernie Sanders Rally — & It Was Awesome

[Jefferson23]

Mar 25, 2016 5:45 PM
Elle Neubert

Editor's note: Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently hosted a last-minute rally in Los Angeles. Refinery29's Elle Neubert was in the crowd of 2,000-plus supporters who showed up to hear the Vermont senator speak. The views expressed here are her own.

When I heard a rare blip about Bernie Sanders on the local news last week, I threw my headphones down and shouted to my coworker. The amazing update wasn’t a new poll or a win in a delegate-rich state but rather our pick for president was hosting a last-minute rally later that very day in Los Angeles.

Despite being home to millions of registered Democratic voters, Californians like me have largely sat on the sidelines for much of the race so far. Because our primary isn’t until June — one of the last in a long nominating process — we’ve watched the candidates battle for voters in other states for months. But now, we finally had a chance to feel part of the campaign.

The tickets were free, but because of the demand, they were all reserved in a matter of hours. Although even without a ticket, I knew I still had to try to get in.

After work that evening, I went straight to the rally venue, a historic theater that typically hosts stars like Garbage, Adele, and Lady Gaga. I asked at the main door if there was any way that I could get in without a ticket. The answer was no, but I wasn’t about to give up.

This year, many of us are hoping we could have a real impact on this election. And Bernie knows it.

As I walked down the long line asking people if they had tickets or were also holding out for a last-minute spot, something came over me. There were hundreds of people in front of me and they were all bursting with excitement. Chants of Sanders’ name and “Sí, se puede” filled the air. Supporters danced on the sidewalks, people signed up to volunteer for the campaign, and others registered to vote. Petitions circulated seeking to advance causes like ending the death penalty and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. And there were signs everywhere. Latinos, nurses, feminists, students, veterans, all there for Sanders. They were making their political voices heard and I was overwhelmed. Viva Bernie!

Making my way through the crowd, I learned that the event was now first-come-first-serve due to issues with the online ticketing process. I beelined to the end of the crowd.

Walking past the people already waiting, I realized that it wasn’t just hundreds of people, but there were more than a thousand trying to get in the rally. And the elation was intensifying. Two girls were shouting “Free the nipple!” A woman with rainbow-colored hair held a sign that read “Unicorns for Bernie”. Someone was skateboarding with a life-size cutout of Sanders. I even met a homeless man who hopes that his future might also improve if the senator from Vermont is elected. It didn’t feel like we were waiting to see a politician. It felt like we were waiting for a rock star.



http://www.refinery29.com/2016/03/106893/bernie-sanders-la-rally-california-primary

[haikugal]

1. We are all hungry for a future to believe in! Thanks for this post, K&R!

[Jefferson23]

5. Yep and you're very welcome. n/t

[ghostsinthemachine]

2. awesome. The People are speaking......

let's hope for hope.

[Jefferson23]

3. I think everyone is working hard, so yea..lets just keep focused.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Thank you for this great article, my dear Jefferson23!

A truly worth-while read!

[Jefferson23]

7. Was great to read, right? I was very pleased to read her reactions..wish I could have

been there too! Of course....you're very welcome, it was my pleasure to post the OP.

[libodem]

6. Feel The Bern!

[Jefferson23]

8. Absolutely! n/t

[libodem]

10. We had the biggest caucus evah,

In Idaho, and it was quite the delightful clusterfuck. Got in line early, before it started to curl aroud the block. A spokesperson hollered out that 8000 had signed up on line and the lottery wasn't fair to everyone so the tickets no longer mattered.

It was Uuuge!

We got in. And got out. I wear out in a couple of hours.

[Jefferson23]

16. That is so exciting! +1

[libodem]

23. .

[CorporatistNation]

9. Rejoice, As Bernie Is The Answer!

In his day... This man, Major General Smedley Butler presented the nation with an answer that avoided much of WHAT we are attempting to avert i80 years hence, with the most authentic candidate ever to come to the forefront of American Presidential politics in my lifetime.

&ebc=ANyPxKqaypycCGWXzSsHqbGZipV0rUKraao2YF9iBK6iiPaWhayrVKcdhm9bjqEmzpgCOGW0CQjg5ku2FmVbuPuf-9IVAHdMBQ

We will not see the likes of a Bernie Sanders again. Therefor we must ensure that Senator Sanders takes us to the promised land of a restoration of American DEMOCRACY.

[Jefferson23]

20. Exactly, his campaign is about confronting corruption, of which there is no shortage. n/t

[Gwhittey]

11. I read somewhere clinton got 353,400 people

at rally with George Clooney

[Art_from_Ark]

12. LOL

That was a misprint-- they meant $$$, not people.

[Jefferson23]

19. +1..that was funny. n/t

[Buns_of_Fire]

15. Oddly enough, they were all named Maddi.

And I'm not kidding.

[Luminous Animal]

13. Good read!

[Jefferson23]

18. OMG, I love your Bernie bird.

[ViseGrip]

14. One man left not bought and paid for, Bernie Sanders. Our last hope.

[Jefferson23]

17. Totally, the only one running for president...what is not to admire and be so proud of! n/t

[Samantha]

21. I loved this, really loved it - so raw with emotion and so filled with hope

I hope all of California feels this way!

Sam

[Jefferson23]

24. I was thinking the same...may that voice keep growing! n/t

[renate]

22. for the first time, after Washington today I finally got the feeling that we are at a tipping point

People are starting to understand that they really are not alone or are just being cynical in thinking that the system is rigged, or in feeling as though regular folks are being ignored and taken for granted by both political parties.

They were saying on MSNBC that both Trump voters and Bernie voters feel betrayed by the parties that are supposed to represent them--they blame different groups of people for their problems of course, Trump voters blaming immigrants and Bernie voters blaming Wall Street, but they're all pissed. Together there are just too many angry ordinary people to ignore any more.

And because love always trumps hate in any successful movement (or any successful positive movement, anyway), I think the way this all plays out will be on our side. Look at how much joy and happiness and love are with Bernie's movement, as shown in this article and at all of Bernie's rallies. Who wouldn't be drawn to that?

[Jefferson23]

25. As long as we keep working, we still have a shot at it, I believe that to be true. n/t