A heat wave that struck Philadelphia on Sunday didn’t keep Bernie Sanders supporters from marching the city’s streets on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.
Thousands of protesters backing the Vermont senator marched nearly four miles from City Hall, along the major thoroughfare Broad Street to Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park, located across the street from the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention will begin on Monday.
Protesters braved temperatures that exceeded well over 90 degrees. At a press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney warned demonstrators to limit their time outdoors during the sweltering heat.
Sanders supporter Penny Neiman, 58, travelled more than 700 miles from Bedford, Indiana, to voice her disapproval for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who she calls “corrupt” and “untrustworthy” for her relationship with Wall Street.
“I’ve been a Democrat my entire life,” Neiman said. “Bernie’s not the nominee. I will never go back to the Democratic Party. I’m done. I’m going green.”
By “going green,” Neiman is referring to the presumptive Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who told NPR she’s a “plan B for Bernie” this election.
Neiman and two other Bernie supporters she travelled with from Indiana are camping out in tents at Wharton State Forest in New Jersey, about 40 miles from Philadelphia.
“We’re all women,” Neiman said. “It’s hard on us. But we’re here for Bernie.”
Join “Chicago Tonight” for continued coverage of the Democratic National Convention all week.
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