Protesters brave the heat in Philly to say 'Bernie or Bust' as DNC starts

PHILADELPHIA—Thousands of Bernie Sanders supporters braved a heat index as high as 109 degrees on Monday to vent their anger with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.

Protesters marched through downtown Philadelphia, dripping sweat as they made their way from City Hall down the main drag of Broad Street toward the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention is being held.

Philadelphia police said 54 people were briefly detained and ticketed for disorderly conduct after a group of demonstrators began climbing a fence near a secure area.

But for the most part, there was something of a carnival atmosphere, with protests attracting a colorful range of groups. Marijuana legalization activists carried big inflatable joints, Planned Parenthood members chanted about the right to choose, and socialists handed out little hammer and sickle flags.

Many of those who hit the street said that they couldn’t support Hillary, and some held up signs for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Others cooled off by standing in a fountain. Handicapped Bernie supporters were pushed in wheelchairs at the front of the march.

They hoisted signs with slogans like “Humanity over profit,” “Only corporations trust Hillary,” “Fuck politics vote Bernie,” and “RIP DNC.”

The protesters’ anger was inflamed not only by their candidate coming up short in the primary, but by a leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee this weekend showing party leaders belittling the Sanders campaign.

The email scandal forced the chair of the committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to announce her resignation and avoid appearing at the convention over the next week.

But Wasserman Schultz’s decision didn’t seem to assuage many protesters.

Jessica Griffith, 39, a graphic designer from Las Vegas, said she planned to write Sanders’ name in for president. “No one has ever lit a fire like Bernie has,” she said. “The fire is still strong among his supporters. It doesn’t matter that he endorsed Hillary. The fight won’t die.”

“Hillary has no core values,” she said. “This electorate is angry, tired of the status quo.”

While Sanders was booed by some supporters earlier today when he said he would support Clinton and her vice-presidential pick, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, most of those marching said they didn’t blame Sanders for supporting Hillary. They said they understood the Vermont senator faced political pressure to do so.

Some were especially fired up over Stein, the Green Party candidate. “I will not vote for Hillary no matter what,” said Daniel Perez, 29, a New Jersey accountant who volunteered for Sanders’ campaign and took vacation days to come to the DNC. He hoisted a sign declaring “Latinos with Jill Stein!”

“I feel like our vote doesn’t count,” Perez said. “There’s voter fraud going on with the amount of support Bernie got.”

“I’m marching today because I’m tired of the bloodshed and black lives not mattering,” said Sihavon Jamon, 36, of Philadelphia. “Bernie is one of us.”

“To be honest, this election makes me not want to vote,” she said. “I don’t feel safe with Hillary, with her email indictment and all that.” (She was not actually indicted.) “She’s going to do whatever it takes for her to have power.”

Casey Tolan is a National News Reporter for Fusion based in New York City.

Summer covers the circus that is the 2016 presidential election. Although now based in Brooklyn, she considers her native LA and college residence of Chicago as her hometowns. When not geeking out about politics, she’s full-time fangirling over too many bands.