More than twenty thousand people have committed to protest Hillary Clinton’s likely nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia — and that number is quickly growing.
The protesters are united in their support for Bernie Sanders, as well as their opposition to “a fraudulent Hillary nomination,” according to the group’s website.
Their leaders have set up a Facebook group — titled Occupy DNC Convention — to organize housing and transportation.
Protesters are encouraged to read documents shared within the group. One document is titled “Civil Disobedience Training.” Another is titled “Health and Safety at Militant Actions” and includes tips on first-aid and withstanding teargas.
One document, titled “Why ‘Occupy DNC Convention’?” explains the protesters’ mission: “we are contesting Hillary’s nomination on the grounds of fraud, voter suppression, and corruption. We show them who we want.”
The group’s leaders have set up a PayPal account and are requesting donations to help fund the demonstrations. The protesters say they simply will not accept a Hillary nomination but at the same time are committed to nonviolence.
They’re even prepared to lose the general election if Sanders isn’t the nominee: “If they nominate her anyway, we show them they did not ‘win’ for we will not be voting for her in [November].”
To date, more than 22,200 protesters have joined the group, which has received a permit to protest from the City of Philadelphia. The city has issued several permits for what look to be massive pro-Sanders protests throughout the convention.
Some groups are planning to protest the DNC even without a permit.
One smaller group of black activists, the Philly Coalition for Real Justice, has planned a “resistance march” against the Democratic party for allegedly breaking its promises to black voters. Local news coverage describes the group as an affiliate of Black Lives Matter but the activists declined to either confirm or deny that fact.
The activists’ Facebook event says, “The Democratic Party has consistently betrayed their promises to the Black community and the 2016 presidential election is not going to be any different.”
“We must capitalize off of this moment with one goal in mind; and that is to resist the capitalist and racist power structures that allow white supremacy and capitalist oppression to flourish,” the activists claim.
At the DNC, they plan to introduce “our own Declaration of Independence and the People’s Constitution, one that liberates us from the corruption of American politics.”
Follow Peter Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson