Philly grants Bernie bros permits for DNC demonstrations, to Democratic Party’s dismay

Supporters of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders have secured permits to demonstrate at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. One authorizes four days of all-day rallies, including one near the convention’s epicenter.

To the dismay of Democratic leaders, the city of Philadelphia has granted demonstration permits to Sanders supports to hold rallies in FDR Park and Thomas Paine Plaza. The city expects the rally at FDR Park to bring out at least 30,000 people, according to the Wall Street Journal.

FDR Park is adjacent to the Wells Fargo Center where the Democratic National Convention will be held from July 25 to 28. The other three events will take place at Thomas Paine Plaza, which is several miles from the Wells Fargo Center. These events will be substantially smaller with anticipated crowds of 2,000 – 3,000 people.

Some Democrats have expressed concern over the demonstrations, citing the brouhaha at the state convention in Nevada. On Monday, Nevada State Democratic Party general counsel Bradley S. Schrager wrote to the Democratic National Committee to warn them about “What we perceive as the Sanders campaign’s penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior – indeed, actual violence – in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting.”

Sanders supporters are undeterred by the Democratic Party’s apprehensions, however.

“The whole Bernie movement is an ideology. If Bernie wins the nomination, wins the presidency that would be amazing. But even if Hillary does win the nomination, the movement has already started,” Steve Okan Layne, an organizer of the Sanders demonstrations, told the Wall Street Journal.

Other organizers have made attempts to establish the tone for the demonstrations as well, including Bill Taylor, who told WSJ, “We are marching. If you’re planning on coming here with violence in mind, we don’t want you.”

All four events are independent of the Sanders campaign.