Exercise to embody civil disobedience at the #PPLsummit direct action training. Ready for #DNCDemocracySpring? pic.twitter.com/4Ach7lWHpO
— Democracy Spring (@DemSpring) June 18, 2016
As the Democratic National Convention approaches, the four-day event will be heated thanks to more planned protests reported by CNN.
Planned protesters now include Democracy Spring and those who attended the People’s Summit. Former State Senator Nina Turner, a Sanders supporter, said she expects “hundreds of thousands of people” at the Philadelphia convention.
The protesters plan to disrupt the proceedings for social change, Democracy Spring Director Kai Newkirk noted.
“If the Democratic Party wants to put on a $50 million infomercial saying, ‘Hey vote for us,’ without committing to make this the last corrupt, billionaire-nominated voter suppression-marred election, then we’re going to crash the party,” Newkirk said.
The group decries influence from billionaires, and many were in shock and disbelief to hear that their causes receive funding from billionaire George Soros. Democracy Spring and others launched an eight-day protest at the U.S. Capitol in April, where 1,400 people were arrested, including Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
The People’s Summit took place in Chicago over the weekend, where “Berniecrats” assembled for lectures and exercises, including mock arrests to prepare them for confrontations with police. It’s part of “the next step” for the Sanders movement and a way for “pushing forward all of this energy around the Bernie campaign,” workshop leader Kim Huynh said.
There is also a #DNCDemocracySpring hashtag on Twitter.
Democracy Springs advocates for nonviolence. However, concern for violence at the convention arose after Sanders supporters announced their protest plans, which are likely to increase in number as angry Sanders supporters realize he won’t be the Democratic candidate.
