Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who scored the most retweeted tweet about the Fox News GOP debate, runs a platform focused upon economic inequality. On Saturday, Sanders stopped in Seattle, Washington to speak about protecting and expanding the scope of Social Security. Sanders immediately met opposition after greeting the Seattle audience with gratitude for its “progressive” slant:
.@BernieSanders "Thank you, Seattle, for being one of the progressive cities in the state." pic.twitter.com/tIK46Oyekm
— Rich Smith (@richsssmith) August 8, 2015
The program shifted abruptly as two Black Lives Matter activists, Marissa Johnson and Mara Willaford, hopped onstage. The two ladies pushed Sanders aside. The audience booed and chanted Sanders’ name, but Johnson demanded to be heard: “We won’t let Bernie speak unless we get silence.” Johnson said Sanders is mistaken about Seattle’s progressive leanings:
https://twitter.com/sydbrownstone/status/630134009159245824
The crowd continued to boo and demand Sanders’ return. Johnson and Willaford spoke about Ferguson and called for four minutes of silence for Michael Brown. After the moment of silence, Johnson told the crowd Bernie wouldn’t be speaking. She addressed Sanders for “failing to apologize for the way he handled the Black Lives Matter members who disrupted his speech at Netroots Nation in July.” Johnson then spoke of “the need for real action against police brutality.”
After 20 minutes, Sanders left the stage with one fist raised. He entered the crowd, where he shook hands and posed for photos.
https://twitter.com/sydbrownstone/status/630138543382200320
On Saturday evening, Sanders appeared at the University of Washington, where he turned the conversation towards criminal justice reform: “No president will fight harder to end institutional racism and reform criminal justice system. Too many lives have been destroyed by war on drugs. We need to put people to work.”