Marchers Bring "The Bern" to Seattle Streets

words and photos by Alex Garland

(originally published on the Dignity Virus)

On Saturday Afternoon, local demonstrators showed that when it comes to Bernie Sanders, Seattle couldn’t be farther from South Carolina.

Nearly 800 activists, community organizers, union workers, and labor leaders joined one goat to rally at Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park in support of Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders.

Demonstrators marched from Pioneer Square to Westlake Park with stops at the King County Administration Building and Wells Fargo. They were flanked by lines of bicycle police throughout.

Bernie — Demonstrators march down 4th Avenue in Downtown Seattle. Photo: Alex Garland

At Westlake, community organizers, labor leaders, and Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant addressed the crowd.

Bernie 5 — Demonstrators gather with signs during the march. Photo: Alex Garland

The march coincided with several others taking place on the same day across the nation in support of Sanders’ platform, which includes shrinking economic inequality, making higher education free, and increasing the national minimum wage.

Sanders lost the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday night.