On Saturday, self-proclaimed socialist and Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders came to Seattle for two planned events. The first was a rally on Social Security, followed by a campaign rally at the University of Washington’s basketball arena.
The Washington Democrat Party was certainly excited about Sanders’ presence, as it is by his candidacy. Evidently, no one has informed them that Sanders is not actually a Democrat. Prior to Sanders’ arrival, Democrats sent out an email announcing/inviting supporters to Sanders’ events. The email read,
“Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is making a stop in Seattle tomorrow for an afternoon Social Security event and an evening campaign rally at the Alaska Airlines Arena!
“Bernie Sanders is a progressive champion, fighting for nearly three decades in Congress on behalf of Democratic values like equal pay, economic justice and environmental protection. We’re excited to welcome him to Seattle tomorrow – will you join us?“
Considering all the excitement, Democrats must have been quite upset over the fact that Sanders was never quite able to speak at the first event the Democrats were touting. CNN reports,
“Seconds after Sanders took the stage, a dozen protesters from the city’s Black Lives Matter chapter jumped barricades around the stage and grabbed the microphone from the senator. Holding a banner that said “Smash Racism,” two of the protesters — Marissa Janae Johnson and Mara Jacqeline Willaford, the co-founders of the chapter — began to address the crowd…
“To sustained boos from the audience that assembled to see Sanders, Johnson demanded that the senator take action on saving black lives and called on him to release his plans to reform policing…
“Johnson and Willaford demanded — and eventually won — a four-and-a-half-minute-long moment of silence in honor of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was killed by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri, a year ago on Sunday.
“Sanders stood just feet away off stage, chatting with his wife, Jane, and the three aides that came to Seattle with him. Sanders’ aides said the senator had no plans of leaving during the protests, but once Johnson did not appear willing to give up the mic after the moment of silence, organizers effectively shut down the event.”
While Sanders stood aside, one of the protesters said the following in reference to the booing crowd: “We want our chance to welcome Bernie to Seattle. I was going to tell Bernie how racist this city is, filled with its [so-called] progressives, but you already did it for me. Thank you. Now that you’ve covered yourself in your white supremacist liberalism.”
How exactly do two protesters shutdown an entire rally? Well, it appears, organizers on the Left are incapable of handling disruptions. Perhaps it was alien territory for them – they’re usually the ones shutting down free speech.
