How Bernie Sanders lost my vote

[Cali_Democrat]

BY KWAME ROSE

Late last year I heard that Bernie Sanders was coming to Baltimore to meet with social justice and faith leaders from around the country. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss Bernie's positions on a variety of issues that directly affected the Black community. The meeting was to be followed by a tour of Baltimore that included Penn-North and Sandtown Winchester, two places that became ground zero for the protests that erupted in Baltimore in response to the death of Freddie Gray.

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As a result of the Uprising, many of young people from Baltimore that took to the streets to protest, became engaged in social activism. However, none of those activists, including myself, were invited to meet with Bernie Sanders during his time in Baltimore. When word got out that Bernie would walk through Freddie's neighborhood, many local activist waited for the caravan to arrive at the mural that was painted to remember Freddie's Life and the Uprising his death inspired.

But when Bernie arrived, he was surrounded by bodyguards and media. And the fact that he didn't go to the public housing complex near the mural known as Gilmore Homes caused concerns amongst community advocates.

"He came to Freddie Gray neighborhood to talk to the media" said Devin Allen, the award winning Baltimore photographer whose raw images of demonstrators protesting the death of Freddie Gray made it to the cover of Time Magazine. "None of the people from the community that was outside knew who he was."

Bernie didn't interact with any of the people outside, and he only stayed for a few minutes without paying his respects to the Freddie Gray memorial, according to people present.

Instances like these are precisely why the barbershops, beauty salons, and street corners in Baltimore aren't feeling "the Bern."

Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/02/25/kwame-rose-how-bernie-sanders-lost-my-vote/#MYCaIR7b7PqE

[NurseJackie]

1. Bernie BLEW IT! More missed opportunities. Sounds like it was just a backdrop and photo-op.

[stonecutter357]

2. K&R!

[LexVegas]

3. He is the choice of a very limited demographic by and large. nt

[togetherforever]

4. weak

[taught_me_patience]

5. In my opinion, a weak reason nt

[JI7]

6. that has more to do with idiots managing his campaign

I have said for a long time he needs to do small events by himself .

[brooklynite]

8. Who hired the idiots?

Candidates are ultimately responsible to hiring the right staff, and for listening (or not) to their advice.

[JI7]

10. like Clinton and Mark Penn

Sanders had never run a large campaign. His experience is in a very small state.

Even running in a larger state would be a huge difference to what he knows.

But he does have someone who had been involved in a large campaign before do I'm not sure why they aren't doing a better job with more different types of events.

[oasis]

7. Newsflash to Bernie campaign:Photo ops ain't all they're cracked up to be.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Well, vote for whomever you want, Kwame.

That's the beauty of this country.