Hundreds of Carrboro residents were “Feeling the Bern” Wednesday night, as part of an internet-based organizing effort for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Speaking to supporters Wednesday night via the internet, Sanders called for a “political revolution,” and explained why he’s drawing such big crowds wherever he goes these days.
“The American people are saying, loudly and clearly: Enough is enough,” said Sanders. “This great country and our government belong to all of us, and not just a handful of billionaires,” said Sanders.
Wednesday’s online organizing effort reached an estimated 100,000 people in around 3.500 locations. Sanders called that a historic achievement, this early in the campaign.
At least a few hundred supporters were reached in Carrboro, where people gathered in public places and private homes to hear Sanders and some of his official campaign workers discuss issues and strategy.
About 150 showed up at Carrboro Town Commons, to experience Sanders on a on a small screen and a humble PA system.
The event was organized by Robert Roskind, owner of The Oasis coffee-and-tea shop at Carr Mill Mall. He talked about what attracted him to the presidential campaign of the Democratic Socialist from Vermont.
“I’ve been watching Bernie for a couple of years, and I just realized, this is an honest man who hasn’t sold his soul,” said Roskind “He hasn’t taken big money from corporations and donors, so he can point to the system and all its corruption, and say this needs to change.”
In his remarks Wednesday, Sanders attacked the 40-year decline in middle-class incomes; unfair tax breaks for major corporations; a minimum wage that’s too low; Citizens United; and a “real unemployment” number at 10 percent, where more than 35 percent of young people are either not working, or not working enough.
“I seems to me that maybe, just maybe, instead of having the highest rate of incarceration of any major country on earth – instead of throwing our kids in jail, maybe we should provide them with education and jobs,” said Sanders.
Sanders also addressed something that’s been making headline after headline recently: Incidents of unjustified police violence against black people. He said it’s time to “combat institutional racism.”
Local supporter Rebecca Cerese said she was glad to hear that, while acknowledging that there were only five black people at Wednesday’s Town Commons event, in an overwhelmingly white crowd.
It brings to mind a specific criticism of Sanders’ campaign – that it’s not doing enough to reach out to black communities. That discussion heated up after Sanders was heckled by Black Lives Matter demonstrators last week at a Netroots appearance in Phoenix.
“We have talked about it at the Triangle for Bernie meetings, specifically” said Cerese. “We had a whole group that was dedicated to reaching out to folks in Black Lives Matter. So I think one of the first things we want to do is, we actually want to talk to the local folks, and say, ‘Listen, we’re from Triangle for Bernie, we want to meet with you and hear what you have to say.”
Cerese added that she’s gratified with the diversity of Triangle for Bernie, and the energy among the young volunteers – and there are a lot of those, she said.
Twenty-one-year-old Tara May, a rising senior at UNC, was at Wednesday’s Town Commons event, accompanied by four friends. She said she’s ready to volunteer for Sanders, and she’s looking to either start or join a Bernie group at her school.
“I think that Bernie kind of crosses party lines, in a way,” said May, “because he’s really for the middle-class American.”
A few blocks away, a similar event was being held at The Station. Local musician and owner of Crawlspace Solutions Michael McKinney (aka Jack Whitebread) organized that one.
“I think he’s a straight shooter, speaking the truth,” said McKinney. “And that just really resonates with me, because I’ve never heard another politician say it the way that he says it.”
There’s no announcement yet about Sanders coming to North Carolina in person. But he’s running a 50-state campaign, so count on it.
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