City of Brotherly Dissent

Veronica Wolski, artist, with her daughter Maeve: “The future of my daughter was riding a lot on the outcome of this convention. Bernie really is the last chance for this country and our democracy. And when my daughter has children she’ll be able to tell her children that she was here. And that was important, that she be a part of history, regardless of the outcome. Education, health care, war, women being drafted, Wall Street—it all affects my daughter. And I was going to do everything I could to ensure that she had a leg up. She deserves that. All of our children deserve that. And I’m here for all the children, and all the daughters, and all the sons, and all of the seniors, and all of them—and that’s gone.”

Samuel Alexander Meacham, attorney, Washington, D.C.: “Bernie Peacekeepers trains people to help keep the peace in rallies and marches, to help keep people safe, and try to absolutely oppose violence and violent acts. These are passionate demonstrations, but they don’t have to be violent ones. There’s certainly been a heavy security presence. But [the police] have been incredibly polite and respectful. They’ve kept back and let people voice their passions and vent their anger. They’ve done a great job of making us feel like we’re welcome to be here, and to exercise our First Amendment rights.”

Margaret Alexander, part-time administrator, Massachusetts: “I have a lot of student loan debt. I feel like I’m never going to be financially viable. I was paying for a while; I got into a bad life situation. I had to declare bankruptcy, I wasn’t able to discharge my student loans, I got divorced, I got stuck with most of the loans. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, but it seems like an insurmountable mountain. And I see my congress voting down proposals to allow people to refinance at lower rates. I don’t understand why students can’t have lower rates than corporations. Around the 2008 crisis, banks were lent money at zero to one percent interest. Why do they get that rate, and I have to pay so much more as a student? Everybody I know is getting squeezed just a little bit too much to bear.”

stiks bubbleman: “I’m here to check out the scene. This is what I do. This is where the people are. Besides launching bubbles over the fence against the DNC, what else can you do? Everything’s slid so far to the right in the last few decades that Nixon would be too liberal to be a Democrat. Reagan even would be too liberal to be a Democrat. The Pentagon takes over half our budget. They’re not elected. Who let that happen? I think the people who did that are on the other side of this fence. So I’m just out here having fun blowing bubbles against ‘de-fence.’”

Karrie Heim, Northern California: “I was running to be a delegate, and I booked my trip to Philly. I decided, after I didn’t become a delegate, to come anyway to represent the people in my district and to protest the election fraud that occurred in my state. I know that there’s a lot of people back home that wish they could be here and fight for what they believe in, and so I really feel the responsibility on my shoulders to be here and to protest on their behalf. Our election was stolen.”

Jacob Chamberlain: “I can’t watch and let my countrymen stand by as their elections were ripped from their hands. Today Bernie Sanders conceded. There’s a lot of rumors out there that Hillary won because of election fraud. I subscribe to that idea. I like to think of myself as a revolutionary. It’s time for the people to stand up and unite and do as Americans have always done when faced with tyranny and corruption: revolt.”

Valery Rousset, French citizen: “I’m in Philadelphia for the DNC, after last week’s RNC. I’m taking pictures and writing down as much as I can for a satire/arts magazine called The Quiet American that will come out in September for a special election issue. There is a general tendency toward extremism when there’s uncertainty. And whether this uncertainty is real, imagined, or exaggerated, it seems to give voice mostly to very racist, very nationalistic voices. It’s terrifying, especially because, Jesus, its been barely a century, and we can’t even remember how that never leads to good things. Fear has always been the most powerful, most effective tool in general. It’s very easy to rally behind a common enemy or scapegoat.”

Max Margulies (right), and Etse: “I came with Etse because I wanted my puppet to meet some of the people here. Her issue is sexual liberation. She’s gender fluid. I don’t know why I’m here. I’m not having a good time. It’s hot out, there’s no bathrooms, I’m not interested in politics, there’ s no food, and it was a long walk from the subway, because you needed a pass to get off at the station where the convention is.”