Bernie Sanders began his California tour tonight, Friday, March 22, with a rally in San Diego. The rally was held at Waterfront Park in San Diego. Although the exact number of attendees hasn’t yet been shared, Waterfront Park’s biggest reservable area holds a max capacity of 3,825, according to SDParks.org. The venue was definitely packed tonight, and Sanders didn’t hold back in his speech. He demanded that President Donald Trump release Robert Mueller’s report, he celebrated that diminished power of superdelegates in the DNC, and he urged his supporters to continue the fight for quality healthcare, economic freedom, and justice for everyone, not just the billionaire class. Read on for more details about what happened and how many people attended.

At the Beginning of His Speech, Sanders Demanded Trump Release Mueller’s Report

At the beginning of his speech, Bernie Sanders talked about Robert Mueller completing his report today. He pointed out that 36 people have been indicted through Mueller’s investigation, including six who were part of Trump’s campaign. “I also know that it is absolutely imperative that the Trump administration make that report public as soon as possible,” Sanders said. “Nobody including the President of the United States is above the law. The American people have a right to know.”

Sanders pledged to end anti-American sentiments like bigotry. “The principles of our government will be based on justice,” he said. “Economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice.”

Sanders also promised that the government would not become an oligarchy controlled by a small number in the billionaire class. “We will not allow three families in this country to own more wealth than the bottom half of American society while at the same time, 20 percent of our children live in poverty, veterans are sleeping out on the streets, and 30 million Americans have no health insurance.”

Sanders later told the crowd they were going to defeat Donald Trump “because we are going to put together an unprecedented grassroots effort, and I am really proud to tell you that as of today we have well over 1 million Americans in every state in the country who have signed up to work on this campaign, to roll up their sleeves to make sure that we win.”

Sanders Noted That His 2016 Campaign Won More Votes from Young People than Trump & Clinton Combined, & He Celebrated the Diminished Power of Superdelegates in the DNC

Sanders noted later in his speech many of the radical ideas that were now widely supported, including limiting the power of superdelegates in the DNC.

Imagine ending the power of superdelegates at the Democratic National Convention. Imagine that, allowing ordinary people to determine who becomes President, not wealthy political insiders.”

Then he added:

“In 2016 we won victories in 22 states, we won over 13 million votes, over 1,700 delegates — not a lot of superdelegates, real delegates… And we ended up winning more votes from young people…than Trump and Clinton combined.”

His statement was met with cheers, including his comment about the Democratic primary being decided by real voters and not wealthy members of the DNC.

“Those ideas that seemed so very radical, well today virtually all of those ideas are supported by a majority of the American people.”

Bernie Sanders Spoke Where FDR Spoke in 1938

The event had historical significance. Sanders gave his speech at the site where FDR spoke in 1938. Before Bernie Sanders took to the stage, the crowd chanted: “The people united will never be divided!” They also chanted, “This is what democracy looks like!”

.@BernieSanders will give his San Diego speech tonight at the site where FDR spoke in 1938 #BernieInSanDiego #Bernie2020 pic.twitter.com/YsqVai6XhF — David Sirota (@davidsirota) March 23, 2019

Sanders told the crowd: “Back in 1938, at this very location, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech to the people of San Diego. And given the fact that FDR was one of the great presidents in the history of our country, I am honored to be here in this very spot 80 years later.”

#BernieInSanDiego standing where FDR stood 80 yrs ago. How perfect is that?! — AzMomma (@jilliansw) March 23, 2019

Thousands of People Lined Up for Blocks To Attend the Event

Before the event began, a line of thousands of people could be seen for blocks:

Bernie Sanders Rally In San Diego. KUSI Tonight. pic.twitter.com/EU7nZfmXB2 — Dan Plante (@DanPlanteKUSI) March 22, 2019

The line stretched farther than you could see:

Bernie San Diego really! Like stretching around the block and it’s still an hour til it gets started! Beautiful California afternoon with beautiful, happy people! pic.twitter.com/HxP6MgiLkv — 4tunate1 (@fuzzyforrest) March 22, 2019

Here are two more good videos of the crowd tonight:

Massive crowd at outdoor rally for Bernie Sanders in San Diego pic.twitter.com/EYokrDTUjI — Cleve R. Wootson Jr. (@CleveWootson) March 23, 2019

Another good video:

This quick video of the crowd at the @BernieSanders Brooklyn rally perfectly shows you who the frontrunner is for the 2020 presidential race. #BernieInBrooklyn #BERNIE2020 pic.twitter.com/yD81JttxIu — Alex Acaro (@AlexAcaroNY) March 2, 2019

And this photo, shared by CBS 8, also shows a good view of the crowd:

Some people had to park blocks away and walk nine blocks or more to get to the rally:

Many friends reporting they had to park blocks away and are walking 9 plus blocks and asking @BernieSanders to wait! Lol#BernieInCA #BernieInSanDiego #Bernie2020 — Haz_el_eyes ✌️❤️ (@Haz_el_eyes) March 23, 2019

The exact crowd size isn’t known, but the venue Waterfront Park has a max capacity of about 3,500 in the Civic Green, and photos show standing-room only for Sanders’ speech.

A Brief Delay Before Sanders’ Speech Didn’t Dampen the Crowd’s Enthusiasm

Nina Turner posed for photos at the rally tonight, before she gave the opening speech for Sanders.

A lot of people were thrilled to pose with Nina Turner:

There was a bit of delay between the last opening speech and Nina Turner’s speech welcoming Bernie Sanders. But the crowd’s enthusiasm wasn’t diminished at all by the brief delay.

At the end of Sanders’ speech, he told the crowd that he will always remember where he came from. His family lived paycheck to paycheck, and he won’t be shutting the government down when he’s President.

“When we are in the White House, we are going to enact what Franklin Delano Roosevelt talked about … We are going to guarantee a job to everyone who is able to work in this country. We need to rebuild our infrastructure, we need to transform our energy system… there is more than enough work to be done in this country. Let’s go out and do it.”

Two More Rallies Are Planned in California for This Weekend

On Saturday, March 23, Bernie Sanders will be heading to Los Angeles, California. You can RSVP here. The Facebook event page is here. The event will be held at Grand Park across from Los Angeles City Hall on 200 N. Broadway Ave. in LA. Doors will open at 1 p.m. Pacific and the event will start at 2:30 p.m. Pacific. This will likely be his biggest rally to date. Grand Park, operated by the Los Angeles Music Center, is a 12-acre park in the civic center of Los Angeles, California. On December 31, 2013, a New Year’s Eve event at Grand Park was attended by 25,000 people. The sixth annual NYELA at Grand Park drew more than 50,000 people. An LA Times article noted that capacity at Grand Park is 50,000. It’s a good idea to get there early.

Then on Sunday, March 24, Bernie Sanders will be leading a rally in San Francisco, California. You can RSVP here. The Facebook page is here. The event will be held at Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason on Bay St. in San Francisco. Doors will open at 11 a.m. Pacific and the event will start at 12:30 p.m.

As with all Sanders events, space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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