1963 Video Likely Shows Bernie Sanders Getting Arrested At Chicago Segregation Protest

By Mae Rice in News on Feb 17, 2016 5:42PM

Today in “even when you try to shake up Bernie Sanders’ brand, you can’t”: Chicago filmmakers may have found footage of the Democratic candidate getting arrested at a segregation protest in Englewood in the summer 1963, as they announced in a blog post. It's embedded above.

This find comes after civil rights leader John Lewis told reporters, as the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Hillary Clinton, "I never saw [Sanders]. I never met him [during the civil rights movement].”

The footage above is from a protest at 73rd and Lowe streets, a place where the city once had plans for a mobile-unit-only public school, the filmmakers explain in their blog post. (They’re working on a documentary titled '63 Boycott, which draws connections between 1963's boycott of Chicago Public Schools and present problems in the city's school system.)

It's not yet certain that it's Sanders in the footage, and not a doppelganger. Sanders himself hasn't confirmed it himself; in the blog post, the filmmakers write, "Is it Bernie Sanders? Help us to confirm it."

It seems possible, if not likely, though. Sanders was a student and an organizer at the University of Chicago at the time, which means he lived in the area. Furthermore, an old Tribune clipping, which Mother Jones recently turned up, reports Bernie was arrested at this particular protest.

For context, here’s what 21-year-old Bernie looked like, according to the filmmakers’ photo digging. Do you think it's him?

[h/t Slate]