Anyone looking to partake in the revolution just needed to follow the signs.

They were spray-painted on poster board, carried by people in bright blue shirts and hard to miss: CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, CANCEL STUDENT DEBT, IMMIGRANT JUSTICE. Prospective revolutionaries were pointed inside the Alley Theater in downtown Houston, to the elevator, to the fourth floor and around the corner, where they sat and waited to rally for change.

“I thank you all, rowdy rebels of the Gulf Coast,” began Jim Hightower, a former Texas Agriculture commissioner. “This is what it takes. Not wearing a button, but organizing.”

Our Revolution — a national organization aimed at electing progressives — hosted Saturday’s event, featuring U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, local and state representatives from the organization and a high schooler passionate about climate change, among others.

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The two-hour event had plenty of progressive staples (education, criminal justice reform, immigration, going after the “Democratic corporate establishment”), call-and-response chants and, from Hightower, digs at Pres. Donald Trump (“It’s a fabulous crowd—the largest crowd in the history of the world!”).

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was still in Iowa, readying for the cause, but he was top of mind. The afternoon kicked off with a Bernie-based rap (“2016 all you Bernie haters got lucky”), and many attendees had Sanders shirts.

Jackson Lee touted her progressive credentials during her speech — and, despite calls of “Endorse Bernie! Endorse Bernie!” as she left, did not endorse Sanders.

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Before the 2 p.m. kickoff, attendees caught up (“I remember block walking with you”) and talked politics (“It’s all plastics everything”).

Ira Dember, a man with a white beard, a white jacket and silver sneakers, walked up and down the rows of seats and passed out coupons for what he called “the best deal in town — a coupon good for a free protest!” (Rain or shine, every Tuesday, against Sen. John Cornyn, offering plenty of signs if potential takers didn’t want to BYO.)

“I want to learn how I can help,” said Andrew Tran, 32, who attended with his wife. He started noticing politics during the last election cycle. “I saw a lot of injustice in the primary, I thought, and I want to get involved now.”

Sitting in front of him, Kurt Guerdrum, 82, got excited about politics during the Kennedy election. Guerdrum lives in Spring — he sometimes feels isolated — but keeps up with events on the internet.

“This is a big deal for me,” he said. “I’m just here to listen and learn.”

sarah.smith@chron.com