“I know many people who watch his rallies or read what he tweeted are angry, but I’m actually just really really scared and sad.” said Gabrielle Thompson, 21, of San Francisco, Calif.. “It just feels dystopian, like it’s so evident he doesn’t care about people, not even his own supporters. He doesn’t care that these rallies can kill people

Gabrielle Thompson22, wears a mask while walking on a San Francisco, California beach. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Thompson.

Earlier this month, journalist Bob Woodward released audio recordings of President Trump discussing as early as February that the COVID-19 pandemic is airborne and “is deadly stuff”. Despite having this knowledge and despite all states taking coronavirus precautions, the president has held several rallies in preparation for the November election. 

“I voted in the last presidential election, but I didn’t know much other than that I didn’t want Trump in office.” said Alexis Parra, 22, who identifies as Latinx, of Coachella Valley, C.A. “Now, I know much more about specific issues and policies I want enacted. Especially when it comes to protecting my community members from COVID.”

 According to a CDC study, the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities.

Alexis Parra, 22, stands in her front yard in the Coachella Valley in California. She is not supportive of the Trump rallies. Photo courtesy of Alexis Parra.

But his supporters feel that, although the virus has struck 7 million Americans,  Trump has done a fine job handling a once in  a lifetime pandemic.

“The lockdowns and shutdowns are just creating more Trump supporters who are eager to see him in person,”  said Joshua Newman, 34, who currently resides in Bali, Indonesia. “Democrats are using this as an election game and want to keep things shut down and are destroying more and more cities.”

When Trump held his latest rally in Fayetteville, many of his supporters who attended chanted “four more years” and “fill that seat” in regards to the recent death and subsequent Supreme Court seat vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

When asked directly about the safety and repercussions of holding indoor rallies during a pandemic, Trump responded “I’m on a stage, and it’s very far away.”

To some of his supporters attending a rally is no different than attending a protest.

John York, 26, flies a “2020 Keep America Great” Trump flag while kayaking with his dog in Texas. Photo courtesy of John York.

“I view the rallies as a peaceful protest.” said John York, 26, of Dallas, Texas “Why are people at the Black Lives Matter protests allowed to gather and actually destroy property, but we can’t go to an arena and watch our president speak?”

Meanwhile voters have to accept that Trump rallies will continue, despite the mounting death toll, until the campaign season ends

“Trump will do whatever it takes to have the loudest supporters in the room, even if he has to sacrifice lives to get there.” said Parra.

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Just three days before the New Hampshire primary, the Vermont Senator spoke to the crowd from the blue-carpeted stage at the SNHU Arena, rotating slightly from his hunched position behind the plexiglass podium to wave to the designated support section behind him.  The crowd, including the bleachers full of his fans waving magenta light-up “Bernie” signs, cheered in the cavernous arena.

The proclamation has been a standard part of Sanders’ stump speech on the 2020 campaign trail. But to some Democrats, especially those who actively support other candidates, it’s hardly a given that his supporters will vote for the party’s candidate if it’s not Bernie. And his supporters, in turn, are irritated at the stereotype of Bernie Bros, a group of mostly white men known for their abrasive behavior online. They see it as a way to underplay the campaign’s diversity.

“The Bernie bros stereotype is specifically designed to suppress people of color and LGBT voices,” said Isaiah Tobias Lee at a Sanders debate watch party in Manchester on Friday night.

Lee is a 19-year-old trans man who says that trans rights and rights for indigenous people are his top concerns in choosing a candidate. He believes the Sanders campaign will support those rights, and the rights of all people of color, more than anyone else in the race.

Lee is currently taking a semester off from Rhode Island College to canvass for Sanders, but is originally from Kentucky. In addition to the Sanders campaign he is involved with the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate action advocacy group. When asked how he relates to friends and family who have chosen to support other candidates in the 2020 presidential race, he said, “I mostly distance myself from every friend who hasn’t decided to vote for Bernie.”

New Hampshire voter Jonah Manning, a 28-year-old cook in Portsmouth, echoed Lee’s sentiments about the diversity of the campaign. “Even if you do create a stereotype of Bernie bros that is a pejorative,” he said, “Obviously the frame is hollow because he has the most diverse supporters.”

In 2016 Sanders struggled to match Hillary’s support in nonwhite communities. But this time around, Sanders’ movement is much more diverse, both racially and in terms of other metrics like gender and education level. This is likely due to new talking points on systemic racial injustice in addition to his standard mantra on economic inequality.

Polling data from the Economist suggest that while Vice President Biden leads with Black voters, Sanders leads the Hispanic vote in all education and gender categories. He is also polling ahead of any other candidate with white women under the age of 30 and Hispanic women of all ages. In most other identity categories, he and Senator Elizabeth Warren are neck-and-neck, except for white males under 45, where Sanders again is at an advantage.

Christopher Williams, a Sanders volunteer from Idaho who has canvassed in both Iowa and New Hampshire, said he was “wildly proud” of the campaign in the Hawkeye State. “We ended up with 40% of the nonwhite vote, and we only ended up with 26% of the votes. That we got almost double that of the nonwhite vote is huge.”

But in a state like New Hampshire, where the nonwhite vote makes up a very small percentage of the electorate (the state’s population is 93% white) — the question of “Bernie Bro” cyberbullying remains. And although the candidate has asked his followers to “engage respectfully,” the loyal haven’t always listened.

When controversy surfaced in January over whether Sanders had made a comment to Warren about a female candidate’s electability, #RefundWarren trended on Twitter the next day, appearing alongside screenshots of donors asking for a return of their contributions to the Massachusetts Senator’s campaign. Sanders supporters lashed out and called the candidate a liar, terrorizing her vocal online supporters. Almost every tweet from Warren’s campaign still elicits a flood of snake emojis and hashtags like #WarrenIsASnake.

Sanders supporters on Twitter also have several hashtags to attack other candidates, including many targeted at Mayor Pete Buttigeig – #WallStreetPete, #MayorCheat, and the rat emoji,  apparently a mean-spirited attack on the South Bend mayor’s appearance.

Ethan Manning, Jonah’s brother and a student at the University of New Hampshire, attributes the online actions of his fellow Sanders fans to the passion of the campaign.  “Because of all the activity and energy, you’re going to see people saying stupid shit and tweeting rat emojis and snake emojis,” he said.

“That stuff is just like peripheral,” Manning added. “It’s ancillary to the fact that this is a political thing, and these policies are affecting peoples’ lives.”

For the most part, Sanders supporters on the streets of Manchester seemed not to reflect the movement’s online toxicity.

“They’re mostly harmless,” said Emily, a Warren supporter who preferred not to use her last name. The question on her mind, however, was if Sanders’ coalition would turn out to vote for another Democratic nominee in November. “My hope is that, just like how we would vote for any winner of the primary, that they would do the same, and keep that same kind of energy for whoever the final candidate is,” she said.

Some Sanders supporters indicated that they would, although with varying degrees of hesitation. Jonah Manning said he would vote for anyone against Trump in November, but added that the question, “doesn’t address the despair I would feel voting for another person.”

His brother Ethan would too, unless there was an extenuating circumstance. “If they murder Bernie at the convention and there’s like some demonic ritual that happens, no,” he said with a laugh. “But other than that, I probably will.”

Serafina Smith is a graduate student in the Magazine and Digital Storytelling concentration.

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Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren’s supporters like her presidential plan. Thousands flocked to Washington Square Park yesterday to show her how much. 

Shouts of “Warren! Warren!” greeted the presidential hopeful as she mounted the stage under the park’s historic arch. A gigantic U.S. flag flanked by large vertical banners touting Warren’s name was affixed on the arch’s columns to serve as a backdrop for the occasion.

For three hours prior to her appearance, staunch supporters of the senator waited — chatting, texting, photographing or studying. Music blared and vendors hawked campaign buttons. There was even a sudden brief downpour.

Volunteers handed out fans with ‘I’m a Warren fan” written on them. Many women wore t-shirts printed with “Warren has a plan” emblazoned across the front.

Bronx resident Eileen Blancas, 30, wore one of the shirts.

“I like her anti-corruption plans and her commitment to the environment, climate change,” Blancas said. “There is a [Warren] plan update text notification system that I sign up for.” 

Eileen Blancas supports Warren’s plan.  She attends Washington Square Park, Sept. 16, 2019. Photo by Karen Camela Watson

She said she wanted to stay in the loop with any new developments the campaign may be undertaking. 

Information Technology analyst, Melissa Levinton, was so inspired by the senator’s performance in the three Democratic presidential debates that she immediately signed up as a volunteer and was now working her first event. Warren’s experience as a teacher and her extensive legal background in bankruptcy have prepared her to be President, Levinton said.

“She was very inclusive in the debates,” Levinton said. “She doesn’t attack her opponents. She seems polite, personable, down to earth.” 

Levinton likes that Warren’s plans are thought out and specific. 

“For example, the plan to tax multi-millionaires,” she said. “And she has political integrity. She doesn’t accept money from some groups like Big Oil, PACs.”

She also liked the senator’s plans on climate change and mass restructuring of the nation’s systems.

Andy Gottlieb, 26, traveled from Connecticut to see Warren, as he wants to see a more progressive candidate get elected. So far, he likes her plans and wanted to hear her ideas in person. 

“I just want a progressive in office, not a centrist,” he said. “I think [President Donald] Trump is unhinged with outdated, archaic views. We need someone to move us forward.”

Cristina Gonzalez, 36, said Warren’s biggest appeal is her specific plans to address issues.  

“The system is broken,” said Gonzalez. “Within the economic system, breaking up large corporations, making sure workers get their due rights. She has specific plans for these.”

Warren spoke of exactly that.

“I know what’s broken and I have a plan to fix it — as President of the United States,” she said to loud cheers and wavings of “I’m a Warren Democrat” campaign signs.  

The senator said she planned to take on corruption in government, finance and the environment in order to take on her primary goal: Put economic and political power in the hands of the people.

As she detailed each area she would focus on if she became President her refrain was “I have a plan for that too!” followed by increasingly loud cheers of more “Warren! Warren!” by energized supporters. 

Warren spoke of early workers-rights advocate and Labor Secretary, Frances Perkins, who achieved so much through persistence and the support of millions of people.

“Frances had a plan. She pushed for big structural change within the political system, while others worked from the outside,” she said. 

“This is our moment in history – to dream big, fight hard and win.” 

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Bernie Sanders supporters brought a carnival to Brooklyn Navy Yard before yesterday’s Democratic presidential debate. There were homemade light-up signs, a customized “Bernie for President” computer game, a life-sized Bernie Sanders muppet and more.

They came from all over the country to take on the more subdued Hilary Clinton supporters who gathered on the opposite corner carrying the official “I’m With Her” signs. But it was the eclectic array of homemade Sanders campaign gear that stole the show on this chilly spring night.

“I have never come out like this for anybody,” said Kyle Cranston, of South Hampton in Long island, New York. He was decked out in a black “Feel the Bern” t-shirt, topped with a blazer sporting colorful Bernie buttons. His black fitted baseball cap said “Bernie for President,” and he carried a blue sign emblazoned with the same logo.

Kyle Cranston, of South Hampton in Long Island, N.Y. was decked out in Sanders attire outside of the debate venue. by Leann Garofolo

It was not Cranston’s first time braving the cold for Sanders. In February, he attended the New Hampshire primary, traveled to Boston for Super Tuesday, and has been making phone calls and canvassing for his candidate.

The stakes were high for the democratic candidates who both have roots in New York. Sanders were born in Flatbush, Brooklyn to Jewish immigrants, and Hillary Clinton was the city’s senator for eight years. She calls New York her adopted home.

Liz Sawyers, of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, was the coordinator of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) members who attended the rally. Under her black winter coat was a white t-shirt that said “Bernie is bae”, with a sketch of the candidate’s face inside a red heart.

“Earlier this afternoon, just as the sun was going down, the CWA members marched down the street,” said Sawyers. “We had like, 600 CWA members here. It was great.”

Liz Sawyers organized a CWA rally of over 600 people to show support for he candidate. by Leann Garofolo

As an independent business owner teaching public speech and rhetoric, Sawyers is passionate about fair labor. Earlier in the week, the CWA began striking back against Verizon after the parties failed to negotiate a fair contract.

Sanders showed his support and solidarity for the workers on Wednesday when he joined a crowd of 2,000 CWA Verizon and Verizon Wireless workers on the picket line in Brooklyn.

“Bernie was on the picket lines with them, as he was has been on the picket lines with labor unions and teacher unions for years,” said Sawyers. “He’s been consistent on these same issues for 31 years.”

But this rally was also interactive.

A Playstation was set up where kids and adults got to play Bernie “jumping” over obstacles to reach the end goal of being elected as president. A virtual Bernie was navigated as he jumped over things such as “Big Oil Problem” and “Dodged Another Bush.”

“You basically jump over corporate interest and Wall Street bulls and try and get to the end and try and get elected,” said the game’s creator, Grayson Earle of the game that was projected on a big screen. He made the game in just about two weeks in his spare time with The Illuminators, a political art project based in N.Y.C. “If you don’t win you just go back to the community and you reorganize and you try again.”

While many came to show their support, others came to rally for other causes that were near and dear to their heart.

Paul Schuberg, of Rockaway, Queens, stopped by with a “War Wagon” to support veterans.

His mobile cart was piled thick with campaign buttons, along with a donation jar adorned with the American flag. His goal was to sell buttons and raise money to donate to homeless vets who need food, shelter, and permanent housing.

While not an actual veteran himself, he called himself a veteran of “the war on poverty, the war on injustice.” Schubert said he votes based on the candidate, not the party.

“I am a voter,” said Schuberg. “I vote for the best person for the job after examining their history, their record, very carefully.”

Evan Siegel, of Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, came to support Sanders while distributing flyers to raise awareness about military spending.

“I think we need to have a conversation about that,” said Siegel as he continued to give out flyers to passerby. According to the flyer’s colorfully coordinated pie chart, 54 percent of federal income tax dollars are spent on the military budget, which Siegel viewed as a problem.

“Bernie at least says that we should freeze the military budget at its current level,” said Siegel. “I’m for protecting whatever is left of social equality in our country.”

A group called Black Men for Bernie also came out to support him.

Still, others at the rally just wanted to get in on the action.

April Brooker, of Sunnyside, Queens, had hopes of getting inside the venue. She carried a puppet of Donald Trump, who she referred to as “Donald J. Tramp.” Despite the puppet, she did not say she wasn’t a Trump supporter or which of the democratic candidates she supported.

“I’m investigating both sides,” said Brooker, mimicking the Trump puppet as though it were the one speaking. “I like a lot of what Bernie Sanders has to say, but I like the experience Hillary has, so that’s why I’m very eager to see how it turns out.”

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by Raz Robinson

A swath of midtown was completely shut down as participants in yesterday’s Peoples Climate March came together for a block party of sorts in Midtown, hours after the march.

The march itself, which was over 400,000 strong, came to a close between 33rd street and 11th avenue, but for the next five blocks marchers and activists who were unable to make it to the march in the morning, joined in an act of solidarity. They told the stories of the communities struggling with the effects of climate change.

Ray West, 63, from Shoreline Wash, and Carmen Gilmore, 46, of Bellingham, Wash. both traveled together as representatives of their 350.org chapters the environmental organization whose aim is to build a global movement for climate solutions and organized the march.

The pair felt that Washington had been hit extremely hard by the consequences of climate change.

“One of the big issues in Washington State is the ocean acidification,” said Gilmore of man made chemical changes that are adding more carbon dioxide into the ocean.“It affects a lot of the wildlife out there, it effects a lot of the things that all of the salmon and orcas feed on.”

West said there is no doubt that the planet is warming.

“The science is out there,” said West. “There’s no doubt about the science that shows us mankind is making a warmer planet, this generation has to stop it.”

Coming from the opposite end of the country Kyle Gibson, 28, Maine of the Beehive Collective, which looks to attack climate change not just with their words, but also with their art.

“It started out as an all women’s stone cut mosaic collective originally,” said Gibson. “Originally they were doing pictures of endangered species, but then started making work about complicated political issues to try and synthesize it into a visual that people could understand.”

The collective had a series of tarps set up on the sidewalk that visualized the history of our planets climate. Visual graphics were used by the group to explain political issues and connect them to economic and ecological problems.

In recent years Machias, Maine, the town the group is based out of, has been devastated by the effects of climate change. They lost their once thriving timber and fishing industry. The collective looks to tell the story of their town to as many people as possible.

“The economy there is deep in the bust end of the boom bust cycle,” said Gibson. “It was a thriving place at one time with a much bigger population because of the timber industry and the fishing industry, but all that’s gone now.”

What left in the town is an aging population with less ability to revitalize the community, as most of the younger people have went elsewhere to find work.

As the gathering came to a close, some of the marchers shared their stories with each other.

Mak Ska Higa, 70, from Black River Falls, Wis., came as a member of an anti-fracking group based out of Madison, Wis. As a Native American, his opposition to fracking comes as a result of a more spiritual connection to the land.

Mak Ska Higa, an Indigenous American, Vietnam Vet, and environmentalist. Photo Credit: Raz Robinson

“Most non-natives think of trees as board,” said Higa. “We think of trees as being part of our relation to our fathers and their fathers, our great grandfathers.”

A member of the Ho-Chunk-Wakajexi clan, better known as the Winnebago Tribe has a history of fighting said Higa. His family was one of the families to survive the colonization of the United States.

“Like my family did, we have to keep fighting for a place to live on this planet,” said Higa. “I owe my existence to my ancestors, because they fought. Maybe one day people will owe their existence to us.”

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Laura Rodriguez, 34 from Bronx, ran the Boston marathon last year. This year she dressed up as a banana to support runners of the NYC Marathon. Photo by Léa Bouchoucha

On this windy Sunday morning, hundreds of New York City Marathon supporters came to the South Bronx to welcome and cheer 50,740 runners competing in the 26 mile race. This year, the race was marked by memories of the Boston Marathon bombings and Hurricane Sandy.

For Laura Rodriguez, 34, of the Bronx, the connection with the tragedy in Boston was personal. Though she escaped unscathed, she finished the marathon in April just an hour before the first bomb blast.The attacks killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.

On Sunday she was wore a banana costume and cheered her friends running in the marathon.

“It is very important for us to be here today and to show we are very resilient and very strong,“ she said.

“It was a scary experience,” she said of the Boston Marathon bombings. “So, we are here today to prove that we are not going to be scarred.”

The images of Boston bombings are also not a distant memory for Karin Ortiz, a resident of East Harlem. She came to encourage her four friends running the last six miles before beating the finish line.

Karin Ortz, of East Harlem, holds a sign to encourage her four friends running the marathon. Photo by Léa Bouchoucha

”This [the marathon] is very poignant,” Ortz said, “There is a big link between New York and Boston, the cities are pretty close and a lot of runners from the Boston marathon are also running in this race.”

Security in New York was high today, with unprecedented precautionary measures. Helicopters, scuba divers, police boats, K-9 dogs with explosive-detection capabilities and hundreds of cameras were deployed along the marathon route.

Alma Luccirnia, 70, a veteran runner from the Bronx said she had no trepidation of being at the race and did not feel anxious.

“I am not scared of coming,” she said, “We have a lot of police here, I have never seen so much protection.” Luccirnia has completed more than 11 marathons, but came today to support her two friends from Dallas, Texas who participated in the race.

Last year, the big race was canceled after Hurricane Sandy pummeled New York and it was still on the minds of many.

“This is a special day for New York City, we are back from Hurricane Sandy and we want to show that we are resilient and we keep doing what we do,” said Garry Stubbs, 61, of Mott Haven.

He held a sign to cheer his adopted 25-year-old daughter, Yvette Davis. It is the first time she was running the race.

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