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Thousands greet Bernie Sanders inside, outside Hudson’s Bay in Vancouver

By Amy Libby, Columbian Web Editor
Published: March 20, 2016, 1:10pm
5 Photos
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver Sunday March 21, 2016.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver Sunday March 21, 2016. Sanders urged the crowd to vote in next SaturdayÕs Democratic caucuses (Natalie Behring/ The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke to a huge, energized crowd at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver on Sunday afternoon.

“You are doing something very unusual in American politics. You are telling the truth,” he told supporters inside the school gym.

He urged them all to turn out for next Saturday’s Democratic caucuses, saying he does well in states with high turnout. Sanders addressed a menu of liberal issues: raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, poverty and income inequality, funding Planned Parenthood, universal health care, rights for women and minorities, the water crisis in Flint, Mich., campaign finance reform, climate change and the environment.

“We have a moral responsibility” to leave the planet habitable for future generations, he said. Sanders said he is eager “to take on the fossil fuel industry” and move toward energy sustainability.

33 Photos
People waited in long lines for a chance to attend a rally of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver Sunday March 21, 2016.
Bernie Sanders in Vancouver Photo Gallery

Sanders had a special message for young people seeking a good education, he said: “Young people by definition are the future of America. But when you listen to young people, they ask: `Why is it we’re leaving school $30,000 or $50,000 in debt?’ Why are we punishing millions of young people with outrageous levels of student debt? Last I heard, getting an education was not a crime that deserves punishment.”

A tax on Wall Street speculation would bring in more than enough to make college affordable for all, he said.

Sanders also paused to address an overflow crowd outside Hudson’s Bay High School before heading inside at 1:40 p.m.

“We are going to overturn Citizens United. We are going to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent,” he told the cheering, wet crowd and a sea of cellphones shooting photos and video outside the high school. “Let us stand together. Let’s transform America.”

Even before the sun rose on a gray Sunday morning, hundreds of people had already lined up at Hudson’s Bay to hear Sanders speak.

At 8:30 a.m., a sea of hoodies, umbrellas and damp fans of the Democrat from Vermont stood in a line that snaked from the front doors of the Vancouver high school out to McLoughlin Boulevard, down the sidewalk and then back down onto the school campus. The rain didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of those who turned out to see Sanders, who was in Washington as part of a whirlwind tour a week ahead of the Democratic caucuses.

By 10 a.m. the crowd had grown to thousands of people. Techno music could be heard blaring over the crowd.

“I’m a huge Bernie fan. … I brought my daughter and her friend. I brought my friend, Tami, who drove two hours to Eugene to carpool up here. And then we drove to Kelso to pick up my mother before we actually came back down here,” said Jose Soto-Gates, 38, of Eugene, Ore., who got to the rally about 8 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m. the Secret Service addressed the crowd to remind people that anyone with large backpacks, weapons, pocket knives, mace, illegal drugs, cigarette lighters and food would not be allowed inside. Only clear plastic water bottles were allowed.

Doors opened about 11 a.m for the general public. Media and Sanders supporters filed in while music blared in the high school gym. The venue holds about 4,400 and was packed to capacity.

People had come from all over the Northwest to see the candidate speak.

“I am a big fan of Sanders because I think he wants to take money out of politics. I think it’s the No. 1 essential problem in the United States,” said Michael Duncan, 31, an Army National Guard veteran who was holding a Veterans 4 Bernie 2016 sign. “What I would like to see is that future generations after me go to wars if necessary for good reasons.”

“Bernie represents all that’s good in America. And we have a choice now between voting for the people we’re told to and voting for Bernie Sanders,” said Gregory Gregg, 69, who was wearing a Feel the Bern T-Shirt with a picture of his daughter and her family on it under a rain jacket at the event. “And, Bernie Sanders represents the people. And the other candidates represent big money interests.”

Parking in the area was difficult to find. He will also appear at events in Seattle and Spokane later in the day. According to the Seattle Times, thousands of people have already lined up at Key Arena. Doors there open at 2 p.m. Sanders will speak at 5 p.m.

The Vancouver Police Department on Saturday asked attendees to help with traffic concerns by using parking lots and off-street parking outside the neighborhood, not in adjacent neighborhoods, and by carpooling if possible. Traffic in downtown Vancouver was also being routed around the Clover Run. Several streets are closed and detours are in place.

Also, by mid-morning word was spreading that former President Bill Clinton will be in Vancouver on Monday to stump for his wife, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. As of mid-afternoon there was still no word about the location of that event, which is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. Doors will open at approximately 4:15.

This story will be updated. 

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