“We are the 99 percent!”
“This is what democracy looks like!”
Bernie Sanders supports throughout the New York tri-state area shouted these statements down Broadway on Saturday, January 30. About 3,000 men, women, and children of different ages and backgrounds rallied in Union Square before making their way down to Zucotti Park. With homemade signs in their hands, the marchers’ voices remained strong during the two-hour march, literally stopping traffic and passersby who made sure to document the scene for social media.
While trying to get people to join the Bernie camp, others felt that this was a way to prove that people do have the opportunity to change things, even though they’re not on Capitol Hill.
“Bernie Sanders has been an honest man,” said Michael Miller, 72, who resides in Manhattan. “What he says is what he always says. He’s not a typical politician. And you know, people say, ‘Can he get it done? Can he change?’ No, he can’t change it. The people can change it!”
Miller also added, “You know, I was a teenager during the Vietnam War, people stopped the Vietnam War, not our politicians. We stood up. Millions of us came together, marched, and that’s where it comes up from.”
Photos by Emily Tan for the Village Voice.