Right now, nearly 20,000 people are listening to Bernie in Minnesota.

[nc4bo]

There are nearly 20, 000 ENTHUSIASTIC people attending a Sanders rally in St. Paul, Minnesota and the entire venue is on fire and feelin' the Bern!

http://m.startribune.com/livestream-sen-bernie-sanders-rally-in-st-paul/324068061/

Just thought some would like to know.

[beam me up scottie]

1. Thank you.

The numbers don't lie, this is real.

[nc4bo]

3. This is VERY real!

[tomm2thumbs]

34. Look at that!?!!

[beam me up scottie]

42. Holee cow!

Incredible!!!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. 20,000! I haven't seen any news coverage yet!

[nc4bo]

5. WE are the news, aren't we?

[reformist2]

23. EXACTLY. The "news" on TV is fast becoming irrelevant - and the best part is they don't even know it

[Arugula Latte]

59. Yep. They are dinosaurs on the Titanic and an asteroid, as well as an iceburg, are on the way.

Or some such metaphor.

[Karma13612]

17. no surprise there! but I am disappointed as well. eom

[Mnpaul]

18. I saw it on the local news

They showed people lining up at noon.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/01/26/sanders-brings-campaign-to-duluth-st-paul-ahead-of-iowa-caucus/

[pangaia]

32. So they talk about Bernie,

but include two shots of Hillary..
Who does their editing?

"Thousands of people lining up to see a 73 year old senator from Vermont who has become the improbable hero for a new generation of Democrats and ALSO a contender for president of the United States. etc etc..
DURING WHICH they show 17 seconds of HILLARY CLINTON gabbing

nevertheless. YEA ST PAUL... SAINTS !!!!!

[Mnpaul]

41. The clip they showed on the news was editted

what aired didn't include Hillary. This looks like a pre edit clip.

[pangaia]

46. Thanks. Glad to hear that....

[Mnpaul]

62. The 10pm report was much better

They showed about 30 seconds of the event and had an interview with a first time voter who got a Bernie sign for her birthday. No Hillary other than polling results.

[Lorien]

68. If it were hillary with a room of 1,000 or Trump with a venue of 8,000

the MSM would be trumpeting their "massive" crowds, so don't hold your breath. The revolution really isn't being televised...except by us!

[merrily]

4. Nice!

[kenn3d]

6. It's a BIG crowd, yes.

Chat room reports 24k

[nc4bo]

10. WE are the change we've been waiting for! nt

[morningfog]

7. Bernie must be feeling good about Iowa.

Looking ahead...

[thereismore]

12. What you said. nt

[senz]

25. Good point.

He amazes me.

[MuseRider]

8. I am sure happy

to hear this!

Thank you.

[think]

9. Rep. Keith Ellison said he and Bernie were in Duluth earlier today and they had 6,000 there. /nt

[ProudToBeLiberal]

11. He's only raising expectations in Iowa a lot higher. It's turning out to be a must win for him. nt

[restorefreedom]

72. not really

but it could happen

[islandmkl]

79. It would appear that Iowa could be said to be a 'must win'....

for________________

...sometimes the stretches on DU seem to be the work of very bored and unimaginative posters...

but I am not being critical because, in reality, such posts provide much fodder to keep us all nourished...

[madokie]

13. Thanks

I caught the last few minutes.

[Nanjeanne]

14. Fantastic News!

Go Bernie!

[angrychair]

15. Amazing

That is serious numbers!!

[nc4bo]

16. Real sweet stuff going on!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

19. Accusations on Twitter just now that folks were racially profiled and denied entry.

Elon James White ?@elonjames

Elon James White Retweeted aisha

This account is pretty terrible. @SymoneDSanders, is there a response from the campaign about this?

Elon James White added,
aisha @gothicplanet

bernie's campaign organizer pointed out every single black person next to me and people I didn't even know and said we are not allowed in


Dunno who 'Bernie's Campaign Organizer' is in this context. Further tweet suggests they were believed to be 'disruptors'. Nothing more yet, but I'm sure we'll hear more soon.

(ETA: the tweets referring to this started 2 hrs or so ago, so not sure it's same event.)

[nc4bo]

20. Yea, it kinda sounds like junk. Someone will be along to shed some light on the real deal.

They almost always do.

[retrowire]

21. why the fuck would that even be real? ugh nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

22. It's possible. Could be some local person making very poor decisions on the ground if so.

Obviously the Bernie haters will make it out to be official campaign policy, coming down from on high, but I suspect whoever it is overstepped their authority bigtime in deciding to treat protesters in the way the Clinton campaign does, and will soon be kicked out of the campaign, if so.

[retrowire]

24. Were these attendees or protestors? nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

26. No idea, but according to the tweet

whoever it was basically picked out every black person in the vicinity of the person who made the tweets, including folks not known to them. However you slice it, it was a really stupid move, straight up racial profiling.

[retrowire]

27. Really hoping this is fake then. nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

28. Wait and see at this point.

See what else might come out, either from the person tweeting, others there, and/or the campaign.

[Truprogressive85]

39. From what I'm reading

Multiple accounts of black protesters (Somali- Americans) that were at the event are saying they were singled out and their story all seems to be the same.

Chanting #Blacklivesmatter and #stoptheraid



Not sure who singled them

I would not be surprise if the campaign address what took place

[Uncle Joe]

61. "Stop the raid" is probably pertaining to this.

MNNEAPOLIS – Just last week, a North Carolina man was arrested for allegedly providing material support to the Islamic State group and planning violent attacks in the United States. Two other men were arrested in New York and New Jersey recently, charged with the same crimes, including attempts to detonate an explosive in the New York metro area. At least one of them hoped to travel abroad to join the terrorist organization, according to the charges. These sorts of arrests are a new reality in the United States, with more than 180 Americans attempting to or successfully traveling to Syria.

Authorities are struggling to understand what appeal the Islamic State group holds for youth, who have proven to be the most susceptible to recruiting efforts, outside the Middle East and what would draw them to travel abroad or carry out homegrown attacks in the U.S. The government faces a massive challenge in countering the appeal of the group that has successfully recruited foreign fighters from around the globe to help it wage its war of terror in Iraq and Syria.

(snip)

The administration has made CVE a priority, with the goal of preventing extremist groups from "inspiring, radicalizing, financing or recruiting individuals or groups in the United States from committing acts of violence." Yet stopping Americans from traveling to join terrorist organizations is a difficult proposition. The Muslim communities in Boston, Minneapolis and Los Angeles are diverse, and each city must develop a program that works for their local realities. The pilot program gives each city $5 million for the effort, but the difficulties in executing it are highlighted by examining the struggles the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have had in its Muslim, Somali-American community to develop trust in law enforcement and address terrorist recruitment.

The Twin Cities are home to the largest Somali population in the U.S., an estimated 100,000 people. Refugees began settling in Minnesota after the government of Somalia collapsed in 1991. This isn't the first time the community has struggled to counter the appeal of violent extremism to the state's Somalis, but is much more puzzling. Somalis have no national or ethnic ties to Syria and Iraq, a link that helped explain why some went to fight with al-Shabab when Ethiopia invaded Somalia in 2006. Young men joining that terrorist group felt a nationalistic call to defend their nation against rival state Ethiopia, but many of those drawn to the Islamic State were born in the U.S. and have never been to Somalia, let alone Syria. Still in April, six Twin Cities youth were arrested for attempting to join the Islamic State group. At least one of the men has conspired to travel to Syria since 2014, according to prosecutors.

(snip)

http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2015/07/02/minneapolis-somali-community-struggles-with-islamic-state-recruitment

[morningfog]

30. This sounds like bullshit and

Smells like a Rovian hit.

[retrowire]

37. As of now, since all we have are TWEETS

no photo, video or audio... It could very well be made up.

But let's suspend our disbelief for a moment. Because if it's real, then I have empathy for those affected and I will still stand by Bernie because I know he doesn't actually condone this nonsense.

[hopemountain]

85. exactly.

something else i noticed. the posters on here with this "hit" are all sporting the same exact same avatar of bernie.

[snagglepuss]

49. Sounds like a paid disruptor. That this happens a day or two after Bamburg

of SC endorses Bernie sinks to high heaven. AAs are Clinton's firewall and what lengths is she or her PACs prepared to go to ensure AAs stay in her camp.

[hopemountain]

86. no, it is not possible unless

it is a paid disruptor or gop infiltrator and you, erich, are a troll making sure to report it to us.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

89. I don't think you're a paid idiot.

I think it's purely unpaid.

I've been a Bernie supporter from the beginning. Omaha Steve can verify the donations I've made to the Sanders campaign through the pages he set up both here and jackpineradicals.

Keeping an eye out for speed bumps and trying to get them resolved quickly before they cause your car to veer off the road is not a hostile act. It's called prudence.

[jwirr]

29. Sounds like crap to me. In Duluth there were minorities in

the audience. And the big question is: "Why would he do that?" He is out there seeking votes not enemies.

Of course we have heard some pretty bad things about the Twin Cities police force. Wouldn't put it past them.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

31. There are always self-important folks in any campaign who

go beyond their authority to make policy decisions they shouldn't be making. Until I hear more about the incident, I'm tentatively pigeonholing it as probably happened, some flunky probably needs fired from the campaign and an apology issued. I can see someone deciding they need to keep protesters out and not first checking with people higher up the campaign food chain. I'll be shocked if it actually turns out to truly be someone at the highest level who would make such an incredibly poor decision.

[jwirr]

35. Yes, that is true. As you see I amended my post to add that

I would not put it past Twin City police.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

77. Here's some more detail about what occurred

https://twitter.com/blklibmn ( @blklibmn )

The Black Liberation Project has a lot of info in their tweets, since it appears many of those involved were their people.

[jwirr]

82. I have never heard of this group before - they are not BLM

and have been active in disrupting other events that the Twin Cities people would have known about. wonder what they wanted?

[retrowire]

33. Yeah, I just read the whole twitter thing.

Seems multiple black youth are tweeting about it. It has more weight than not, BUT, even Elon James White is stating that we should wait for word from the Sanders Campaign before further speculating.

I don't like the speculation already coming up calling Bernie tone deaf for "letting this happen" at his rally. Bernie can't really control every single person at the gates of a 20,000+ event.

Add to that that there are minorities in the crowd. Did they actually look like disruptors for reasons other than skin color?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

76. Best account I've found so far at https://twitter.com/blklibmn ( @blklibmn )

The Black Liberation Project seems to have been the main group involved. I'd suggest anyone wanting to get a better idea of what went on read through their tweets about the event and what happened.

[retrowire]

81. ugh

we don't need anger and misunderstanding. I hope this is cleared up.

[SoapBox]

38. Sounds like bull.

[retrowire]

43. Let us control our knee jerk reactions.

I love Bernie and I know that if this really happened, he didn't make it so. But if folks actually were affected, the last thing we Bernie supporters need to do is call them liars.

[snagglepuss]

52. If this happened it sounds like a paid disruptor who was planted in Bernies campaign.

AAs are Hillary's firewall and there is no way she and her Super Pacs are letting them go without dirty tricks. Pretty strange coincidence this happens just a day or two after Bamburg endorsed Bernie.

[retrowire]

55. I see the cards stacked the way everyone else does too.

But anything is possible. What ISN'T possible however, is that Bernie would allow this. There are minorities at the event.

If they were actually disruptors, then I don't see the issue with turning them away. Hillary escorts disruptors out the door herself.

Bernie knows the #BLM message, he's been endorsed by 2 #BLM members that I know of now, so honestly there's not really a reason for #BLM to make a point at his rallies. He is an accepted voice by #BLM, he can speak along with them himself.

[senz]

40. That's pure crap.

And I bet I know where it comes from.

[roody]

54. Sure, and I'm Princess Di.

[retrowire]

57. I kinda lost respect for elon james after seeing this...

He was asking what Bernie's racial justice plan was, or if Bernie even had one.

A Bernie supporter gave him the link and this was his reaction...

https://twitter.com/elonjames/status/692192782325305344

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

75. What annoys me is how much Bernie is being singled out.

So many people actively trying to discourage AA voters from voting for him, and always for reasons that also apply to Hillary, but almost never a peep about not voting for her from the very same people, even as she continues to hold a commanding lead with that voting block. She fails on all the same issues he does, AND has a history of creating incredible damage to African Americans, but are the same people out there pointing this out to their friends and relatives and discouraging them from voting for her? Certainly not in any of the places I keep seeing attacks on Bernie and his campaign.

I wouldn't give a damn if they were saying 'We're not voting for any candidate who does not do/say 'X, Y, Z', and we don't think you should either, and we won't vote for them in the General either, if they don't.' THAT would be true democratic citizen activism, and the courage to stand behind their convictions. But time and again, that's not what I see. Instead, I see attack after attack on Bernie only, with once in a blue moon a halfhearted jab at Hillary.

(And I'm sure someone can find individual anecdotal tweets to show people attacking Hillary, but I know what I'm seeing on a daily basis, and the overall pattern is there. People who want to be considered as impartial ignoring Hillary's worse racial justice faults while constantly attacking Bernie for his.)

[retrowire]

80. exactly

I did see someone tweeted him something along the lines of "well if that's not a racial plan then who, if any of the presidential candidates have a "plan" as you define it?"

I understand people want details and how's. but here's the thing, neither candidate knows how right now and here's why. in an analogy.

The people need food. so Bernie and Hillary are saying "okay! we'll drive to the grocery store and get food"

some people aren't satisfied with that answer so they demand "how???" of Bernie more than Hillary for some reason.

problem is, the people want the candidates to explain how they would drive the car, negotiate the traffic and all that before the candidate even knows what the drivers seat feels like, or how other drivers on the road behave (the republicans).

so to say Bernie's plan isn't adequate is kind of presumptuous in my opinion. it can't really have more detail until he has the office.

[Luminous Animal]

58. You would think there would be video all over the place by now.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

78. Here's video of the Bernie guy who apparently was responsible.

https://twitter.com/gothicplanet/status/692228990199816193

Campaign needs to figure out who he is and get talking to him asap, there are thousands of retweets flying around, the incident is basically saturating the twitter black activists web. Whoever he is, he probably needs fired ASAP and a statement put out with an apology for his behaviour.

[nc4bo]

60. From UncleJoe's post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511073983

As someone down thread noted.

A recently-naturalized Somali-American, spoke on common Sanders campaign refrains of racial and gender equality and a rigged economy that benefits only the ultra-rich.

“Bernie is not afraid to say what many Americans today think, but many politicians are scared to say,” she said.

Think it may have something to do with this lady being a speaker?

[Kalidurga]

70. Never mind

This is just a weird thing that a group feels like they were singled out it's especially weird that they are saying they are Somalians and that is why. I say it's weird because I saw several groups of Muslims and many of them were Somalian.

[StandingInLeftField]

84. Latest on twitter as of 1:25 PM EST

The protesters were not kept out of the venue. They were not allowed to stand on the stage.

Tempest in a teapot.

[PatrynXX]

36. I'd say the hillary troops musta made me a target

getting kicked out of absurd discussions for some response that couldn't offend a fly sigh. I need a break. After the Caucus getting ugly

[retrowire]

44. Yeah, it's only going to get harder. nt

[PatrynXX]

47. yep. true I'll snarl for a minute but I calm down block the offensive person

and carry on. although I'd forgotten I can block them from serving on any jury's that I get reported on. okay. 2nd one in there. Would figure they are both long time establishment members

[AzDar]

48. THIS^... is why they are scared. We're going to do this!

[roody]

50. He is amazing. I saw him this noon at one of his

Des Moines offices, firing up his volunteers.

[kenfrequed]

51. I was stuck in the overflow room!

Damn it was impressive!

Bernie's voice was strained a bit! He can go the distance!

[Kalidurga]

71. Me too up in the nose bleed section.

[MrMickeysMom]

53. Who's gonna cover this?

We are, obviously.

[senz]

66. I'm hoping now that the media's finally "noticed" him, they'll give it coverage.

I mean, imagine if Trump had rallies of that size. Or Hillary. It'd be all over the place.

[MrMickeysMom]

67. Even the MSM knows a crowd and the momentum to the first Caucus is good for them...

Actually, their advertisers do... Who the hell knows what the head of these networks ever decide.

[Stargleamer]

56. i'm really glad but. . .

isn't that one state north of where he should be?? or do Iowans follow what happens to the North of them?

[senz]

63. He must be feeling confident -- and looking ahead, too!

[historylovr]

65. He'll be here again this weekend.

Several events planned for the final push before the caucus.

[Indepatriot]

64. Big deal, Hillary drew 5,000+ to her kickoff in NYC.....

[bvf]

69. That is just amazing! Incredible!!

x 20,000!

[cascadiance]

73. Happy so many out went there to Gopher an attendance record!...

The Bern deserves it!

Still hoping we can get the Bern blazin' here in Portland again!

[in_cog_ni_to]

74. Kicking to thank the 20,000 people who took the time and effort to attend -

even though they won't bother to go vote for him.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[gordyfl]

83. The St. Paul Local News Covered the Pre-Rally -- Enthusiasm!

[Enthusiast]

87. This is why, the entrenched interests, the establishment are uniting against Bernie.

They have zero loyalty to the voters and no respect for democracy. They are anti-American to the max.

[amborin]

88. kr