The Bernie Movement Is Alive and Well in the Woods Outside of Philadelphia

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The Bernie Movement Is Alive and Well in the Woods Outside of Philadelphia

A bunch of diehard Sandernistas will keep fighting their revolution even after the convention.

On Sunday evening, I visited three campgrounds in southern New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. The campsites—Timberlane, Four Seasons Family, and Old Cedar—were booked at or near capacity through the week with visitors for the DNC. As I walked around the grounds, weaving between trees and tents and larger-than-life effigies of Bernie Sanders, the lack of Hillary support was impossible to ignore. Signs, buttons, light boxes, T-shirts, and car windows branded with the Vermont senator's name littered all three sites, yet I wasn't able to find a single piece of Clinton paraphernalia. This is likely due to Occupy DNC, the group that organized the wooded getaway, and its unwavering support for Sanders. In addition to organizing the campsites for visiting activists, the group has developed a shuttle system to ferry demonstrators between their respective campgrounds and the DNC.

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The mood at the sites was somber, and the people I spoke with were adamant that they would keep fighting and continue on with their revolution even after the convention. Whether or not this energy will be able to sustain itself throughout the general election with Hillary as the nominee and the magical Bernie train's memories fading from view remains to be seen, but for now, a bunch of diehard Sandernistas are keeping the dream alive in the New Jersey wilderness.

Shayna arrived to southern New Jersey in support of Bernie Sanders, but she doesn’t plan to actually visit Philly. A tarot card reader, she will keep morale high with both card readings as well as fire-breathing performances at her campground.

Mahmud Fitil is a naturalized citizen, originally from Turkey. He joined the Democratic Party so he could vote for Bernie Sanders in the Nebraska primary. He says he will not be voting for Hillary come November and does not identify as a Democrat.

In town from the Catskills, Shari Stahl and Vince Sandborn were stringing up handmade protest signs on the edge of their campsite. Shari told me, “I’ve always been a cause person. I’ve never believed in the political, until Bernie. I finally found a candidate who I can actually count on.”

These two sisters had never left Michigan before. They were proud to show their support for Bernie Sanders at the DNC.