Organizers Planning for 1 Million Protesters at Democratic Convention
By Daniel Halper
July 5, 2016 | 1:40am
Modal Trigger Organizers planning for 1 million protesters at Democratic Convention
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton
Philadelphia will Bern.
The City of Brotherly Love is expecting up to 200,000 protesters at this month’s Democratic National Convention, the Philadelphia mayor’s office told The Post.
Protest organizers, however, say they are planning for 1 million protesters. “It’s becoming more and more realistic as the days go on,” said the chief organizer, Billy Taylor, 31, who holds permits for three-quarters of the permitted protesters.
Taylor, a local owner of a landscape business and a committed Bernie Sanders supporter, said the protest’s goals are to get rid of the chair of the Democratic Party, abolish superdelegates, implement same-day voter registration and abolish voter-ID laws.
“If we want a political revolution, it’s important we all stand united in the streets,” he said.
Taylor maintained that his plan is for peaceful protests, but conceded that in such a large group there will be some bad apples — who, he said, “will be government actors.”
Taylor secured numerous permits to protest in part to block out supporters of Hillary Clinton.
“We’re not going to vote for the demon called Hillary because you’re threatening us with the devil called Trump,” Taylor told the Post. “We’re going to vote for the saint no matter what — and if that’s not Bernie, it’s [Green Party candidate] Jill Stein. Their platform is nearly identical.”
The potential chaos threatens to distract from the historic nature of the nomination — marking the first time a female candidate has been nominated by a major political party.
The July 25-28 convention comes at a time when the city has made protesting easier by decriminalizing “nuisance offenses.”
While the Clinton campaign declined to comment on the record, her allies sought to downplay the threat of discord.
“Democrats are coming together united in their support of Hillary Clinton,” said Justin Barasky, a spokesman for the main pro-Clinton super PAC, Priorities USA Action. “It’s the Republicans who are fractured.”
July 5, 2016 | 1:40am
Modal Trigger Organizers planning for 1 million protesters at Democratic Convention
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton
Philadelphia will Bern.
The City of Brotherly Love is expecting up to 200,000 protesters at this month’s Democratic National Convention, the Philadelphia mayor’s office told The Post.
Protest organizers, however, say they are planning for 1 million protesters. “It’s becoming more and more realistic as the days go on,” said the chief organizer, Billy Taylor, 31, who holds permits for three-quarters of the permitted protesters.
Taylor, a local owner of a landscape business and a committed Bernie Sanders supporter, said the protest’s goals are to get rid of the chair of the Democratic Party, abolish superdelegates, implement same-day voter registration and abolish voter-ID laws.
“If we want a political revolution, it’s important we all stand united in the streets,” he said.
Taylor maintained that his plan is for peaceful protests, but conceded that in such a large group there will be some bad apples — who, he said, “will be government actors.”
Taylor secured numerous permits to protest in part to block out supporters of Hillary Clinton.
“We’re not going to vote for the demon called Hillary because you’re threatening us with the devil called Trump,” Taylor told the Post. “We’re going to vote for the saint no matter what — and if that’s not Bernie, it’s [Green Party candidate] Jill Stein. Their platform is nearly identical.”
The potential chaos threatens to distract from the historic nature of the nomination — marking the first time a female candidate has been nominated by a major political party.
The July 25-28 convention comes at a time when the city has made protesting easier by decriminalizing “nuisance offenses.”
While the Clinton campaign declined to comment on the record, her allies sought to downplay the threat of discord.
“Democrats are coming together united in their support of Hillary Clinton,” said Justin Barasky, a spokesman for the main pro-Clinton super PAC, Priorities USA Action. “It’s the Republicans who are fractured.”
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