Inside the Wall, Outside the DNC

July 26th, 2016

Thousands of anti-Hillary Demonstrators milled about in Philadelphia as Clinton became the first female nominee of a major US party. As we’ve learned later, many of these voters would be going else where on election night.

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Day 2 of the DNC

The now leaderless army, Bernie or Bust is angry and fed up- Just outside the convention, a whole different world exists than what was broadcast on tv.

Tuesday at noon- no traffic on I-95 into Philadelphia. All entrances to the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center are closed off. Secret Service stands guard screening anyone attempting entry from the highway. The police are determined to keep the peace on this historic day for Hillary Clinton. Outside, 50 or more police vehicles line I-95, blocking lanes. A stern warning against any kind of debauchery freeway drivers and potential DNC disruptors might have planned. Alongside the daily marches up and down Broad St, Alex Jones's Infowars supplied traveling billboard trucks declaring, “Hillary for Prison,” in 15ft, black and white text. No one seems to voice a concern about the declaration.

The heart of the action resides in FDR Park - a sprawling green space that butts up against Philadelphia's downtown sports stadiums - the southernmost tip of the city and temporary headquarters for the “Never Hillary” section of the Democratic Party.

Six months earlier the park’s permits were secured by Billy Tailor a particularly prepared Sanders supporter and activist who operates out of the Field of Dreams philosophy, “If you build it, they will come.” Inside FDR a strange mix of hardline Bernie supporters, Occupy Wall Street, and festival bongo players, gather to unite against the nomination of Clinton. Also, to sell Bernie merch, pins, hats, tye dye shirts for $15, and paper Bernie heads on sticks for just $5.

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All the way back to the center of the park where two large stage tents and megaton screens live broadcasting the convention. A side walk to the path of the convention in the Wells Fargo Center lay just beyond the stage area. Due to the predicted unrest, a ten foot high reinforced barrier wall runs along the perimeter.

At the stage, an independent rapper took the mic performing a charged set to the more dazed and confused attendees. It felt like Bernie or Bust was throwing a free music festival. One last Hoorah before the whole traveling band of supporters put away their campaign signs and assimilated back into society. There was tent camping, live entertainment, mascots, totems, merch, and a field full of people who showed up in painted vans and Bernie Buses, most of who had no plan on what to do next, or which way to go when it was all over. One man on a Bernie or Bust bus, visibly beaten down by the day’s events, was still not ready to give in to Clinton. “We need to come to a consensus before we can figure out what to do, as for now, we are staying right here.”

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Two weeks before on July 12, Sanders caved to Clinton, endorsing her, and betraying the hopes and dreams of his supporters. Few admit to being on board with Sanders’s view that our only hope is to unite against the “Blond Menace.”

By Afternoon the delegates ran though through their roll call vote, rumblings of hope drifted among the Bernie camp. Some believed dissident delegates would switch sides in a last minute surprise maneuver giving Sanders more votes than they previously thought. There was an electric naivety in the air, all the way back to the center of the park where two large stage tents with megaton screens stood live broadcasting the convention. A side walk to path to the Wells Fargo lay just beyond the stage area. Near the ten-foot high barrier wall runs all along the perimeter, a young Gary Johnson supporter clumsily canvassing for the Libertarian candidate, approached me. He loudly asserts “socialism is slavery,” though none one cared to engage. Among his directed pleas to sway the Sanders people to Johnshon the lone Libertarian makes a good point, “Trump keeps saying he’s going to build the wall, but Democrats actually did it.”

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“Trump keeps saying he’s going to build the wall, but Democrats actually did it.”

Rumors continued to stir late in the afternoon that Bernie still has a shot. A Florida supporter who had driven up to the convention and had worked for the Sanders campaign had no such remaining fantasies about delegates. “No way would the DNC allow that to happen, after all they went through to crush Bernie’s chances, they’re not going to just let him win now.”

The Clinton resentment got stronger as the day went on. Earlier in the week, the DNC’s email were leaked by Wikileaks. At the time, points of contention such as CNN anchor Donna Brazile’s scandal, in which she fed Clinton questions during the debate against Sanders were still unknown. Though this full picture was still unclear, the general consensus became that the DNC conspired against Sanders squashing his opportunity.

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(Bernie or Bust "undertakers,” carry a red, white, and blue casket labeled DNC one each side. It’s served as a major symbol for the movement of the marches down Broad St.)

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Late in the afternoon, Adult Swim’s Eric Andre emerged with a film crew, waving a sock full of horse manure in the face of an older Bernie supporter who dared to step too close. The old, “smell my sock trick.” The unsuspecting demonstrator wasn't up for his antics and yelled for the cops after the sock grazed past his face. Andre quickly drifted away as fans began to recognize his presence and swarmed around him. The stage granted a safe haven while he prepared to film a final skit, in which pretended to have sex with a Clinton look-a-like on the ground next to a group of bewildered protesters.

Spirits dipped back down as Clinton secured the nomination. A shrewd plan was hatched to have a march on the wall and gate, to be announced any minute. “The screens are just here to distract us,” said a scruffy man trying to make his way on Billy Tailor’s event stage to rally the people.

Once the inevitable procession began the protesters unleashed their storm of demands and grievances in the general direction of the convention. On the other side of the fence, the sharply dressed Democrats walked to the convention from their secure hotels.
Held back by a line of police at the gate, FDR Park gatherers hurled their hatred of Hillary with megaphones. In the thick of it, it didn’t make much difference what your demands were, the end of bureaucracy, police brutality, or Hillary for prison, the general sentiment was that democracy had just died.

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Unrest filled the air and chants carried on for hours as a strategically placed mostly African American squad of backup police filed in. Before the night was over protests broke the line and poured into the quarantined zone. Storming into hotels and conference rooms where attendees were staying. Various sit ins were staged, as Bernie supporters filled in and refused to leave until they were forcibly removed.

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The next day of the DNC ended with an impassioned speech from President Obama, harkening back to the “Yes We Can” platitude that united the party back in 2008 and 2012. Though Obama proved he still has a commanding presence on stage, many on the Bernie Bus wouldn't be getting off.
Throughout the past year, commentators point many reasons for Clinton’s failure in 2016 including her failure to unite her own party. Events that culminated in DNC in particular, could be directly attributed to her loss in Pennsylvania, where Trump took the state by a margin of 0.7% and Green party candidate, Jill Stein took 0.8% of the vote.

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I'm an Aspiring photo- journalist, All photos and writing, unless other wise noted.

Thanks for reading this is the first writing piece I've posted on Steemit. I will be doing this more so stay tuned if you enjoyed it,

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(my freind with a sign that reads Hillary for Kegals and a man who drove a Bernie Bus to the Convention)

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