Bernie Sanders Supporters Protest Hillary Clinton’s Nomination
Several demonstrations pulsed through the Democrats’ convention host city here on Tuesday after the party formally nominatedHillary Clinton for president, attracting at least 1,000 people by nightfall as angered Bernie Sanders voters joined supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement for a wide-scale march.
Just before 10 p.m., the crowd stirred outside the grounds of the Democratic National Convention. A handful of protesters started a fire beside a security fence, feeding the flames with papers and placards.
Someone placed an American flag into the fire, prompting a smattering of cheers but several objections, as others tried to douse the flames
Much of the group had gathered earlier in a park beside the convention grounds, listening to an audio broadcast of tallies from a roll call vote in the arena, a short distance away behind a tall security fence.
Votes for Mr. Sanders prompted raucous applause; support for Mrs. Clinton earned boos.
But the protests on Tuesday flared inside the security perimeter as well. Moments after the roll call scores of Sanders supporters marched out of the arena in protest, with many proceeding to a large media tent to hold a sit-in in view of reporters.
It was a symbolic gesture from a group of people who have long complained of bias against their candidate, casting the action as a response to what they view as dismissiveness from the Democratic Party establishment.
Inside the tent, where major print and television outlets have established temporary offices this week, protesters formed a small circle, holding signs but largely abstaining from chants.
“Always Bernie,” one poster read.
“Silenced by her,” said another.
Several wore cloth gags or tape over their mouths — a motif this week for Sanders die-hards. One stuffed his mouth with a Sanders-themed tie. Another wore a blue T-shirt with this message on the back, aimed at theDemocratic National Committee: “I will help Hillary win the general as much as the D.N.C. helped Bernie win the primary.”
Robert Satiacum, a delegate from Washington State, said he was unsure whom he would support in November but that he had ruled out Mrs. Clinton, whom he termed a “criminal,” and Mr. Trump, whom he described as a “clown.”
“Never, never,” he said of voting for Mrs. Clinton. “Absolutely not.”
Some were there to press specific issues: Three men and two woman carried a “Natives for Bernie” sign and held forth to a group of reporters about why they viewed Mr. Sanders as the superior candidate for Native Americans.
But the activist holdouts appeared outnumbered by journalists who crowded around with tape recorders and television microphones. A few lines of Pennsylvania state troopers and Philadelphia police officers, clad in blue and gray, watched over the proceedings impassively. Others stood guard outside, blocking the doors to prevent more protesters from joining.
Beneath the early evening sun, those Sanders supporters chanted “Corporate greed has got to go,” and “The whole world is watching” on a loop.
Luci Riley, 48, a nurse and a Sanders delegate from California, said she chose to walk out of the convention and toward the media area because she believed the thousands of people who came out to Sanders campaign rallies were not given a fair chance to transform the country.
“We are walking to the people who we feel blocked out our candidate,” she said as she neared the media tents. “We are continuing to send our message that we are not stopping this campaign to elect progressives.”
Carole Levers, 69, another California delegate, said the walkout was meant to send a message to reporters and Democratic leaders who she believes worked together to ensure Hillary Clinton was the nominee.
“We are tired of corruption,” she said. “The media and the D.N.C. colluded to block Bernie Sanders so he wouldn’t be seen. We need to hit the reset button.”
Inside the convention hall, it was unclear if the animosity toward Mrs. Clinton would sustain itself.
After a fractious display on Monday night, when mentions of Mrs. Clinton’s name elicited frequent boos, a roll-call vote on Tuesday appeared to bring the party closer to unity, with cheers for Mrs. Clinton generally drowning out any notable dissent.
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