By Don Dike-Anukam | Photos by Trevor Bexon
Bernie Sanders began a two-day Nevada campaign trip yesterday with a visit to the Carson City Community Center to conduct a town hall event. Shortly following the town hall, Sanders traveled north to hold a much larger outdoor rally on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
Sanders was introduced by the University of Nevada President of the Young Dems, Austin Daly, and Nora Prochaska, an organizer for Bernie Sanders who encouraged attendees to help with Sanders’ campaign efforts.
Following them was Evelyn Galvan, a UNR student who gave a personal testimony of why she is supporting Bernie Sanders. She told of how nervous and afraid she was after the 2016 election when Trump won.
Sanders, noticeably hoarse, came out swinging at President Donald Trump. He had a defiant tone of hope in winning the Nevada Democratic caucuses.
“In this unprecedented moment in American history … we have an American president who is a pathological liar, who is moving our country into an authoritarian society…who is a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a religious bigot, and a xenophobe,” he said “If there ever has been is a time in American history when we have got to stand up and come to together, and get involved in the political process, this is that moment.”
Sanders highlighted what he said was his ability to change the national conversation on issues such raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour (now enacted in 7 states and passed in the U.S. House), canceling student loan debt and improving healthcare.
Listen to the complete rally
There were more than 1,000 in attendance, according to a UNR Police Department estimate, and most were Sanders supporters.
“I choose Bernie because I don’t want to be afraid of walking with my family out of fear that one of them will be arrested and I’ll never see them again in this country,” said Autumn Harry, a graduate student and member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
Sanders closed his Reno rally on this note:
“Do not allow anybody to tell you cannot bring about the kinds of changes that this country desperately needs. Do not believe them for a moment. There is nothing we can not accomplish!”
He continues his Nevada campaign trip in Las Vegas today.
