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Photos: Bernie Sanders Rallies Outside The Coliseum
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders sure had a busy Saturday in Los Angeles.
After strolling around Echo Park, conducting a town hall in Boyle Heights, and shaking hands in Huntington Park, Sanders & co. headed to USC, where a "get out the vote" concert/ rally would be held.
According to the L.A. Times, an estimated 13,000 people packed into the plaza in front of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, where there were performances by Best Coast, Local Natives, Ozomatli, Mark Foster of Foster the People, and Iration. There were also speeches by a few of his celebrity supporters: Susan Sarandon, Dick Van Dyke (who looks like he could be Bernie's robot brother), and Shailene Woodley.
Berners sported a variety of buttons, t-shirts, hats, and signs with clever slogans and eye-catching designs. Say what you will about his supporters, but you can't deny they are on top of it when it comes to graphic design and branding!
There was some drama this weekend over the venue switch: the concert was originally set to be held at the Greek Theater, but Friday evening, the Sanders campaign had to make a last minute venue switch, alleging that L.A. City Councilman David Ryu, a Clinton supporter, used his power to "force" the venue change. In a classic case of he-said, she-said, the Sanders camp says it was intentional sabotage, while Team Ryu said the change was ordered because the Sanders campaign had failed to follow the Greek's ticketing and parking guidelines.
The tiff over the venue didn't seem to matter to those in attendance: the mood was, as they tend to be at Sanders' rallies, electric, passionate, and yeah—really fun, too.
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