Sanders fans plan rallies near Dem convention

Bernie Sanders’s supporters have secured permits for four demonstrations near July’s Democratic National Convention, according to a new report.

The events will rally support for Sanders’s message while Democrats select their presidential nominee in Philadelphia, according to The Wall Street Journal.

{mosads}The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that one permit authorizes an event consisting of four days of all-day rallies at FDR Park.

Philadelphia expects at least 30,000 participants; organizers are hoping the turnout is even higher. The park is located close to the Wells Fargo Center, putting it in close proximity to the convention’s epicenter.

The Wall Street Journal said that the other three events are scheduled for Thomas Paine Plaza, which is located a few miles from the convention’s venue. Philadelphia expects around 2,000 to 3,000 fans demonstrating for the independent Vermont senator at those events.

“The whole Bernie movement is an ideology,” said Steve Okan Layne, who is helping organize one of the rallies. “If Bernie wins the nomination, wins the presidency, that would be amazing.”

Nevada’s Democratic convention burst into chaos last weekend when Sanders supporters loudly protested the results and booed Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

The Nevada State Democratic Party on Monday warned that Sanders’s backers may instigate “actual violence” the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Bill Taylor, another organizer for July’s events in Philadelphia, on Friday said that planners are working closely with the city to prevent similar disruptions.

“We are marching,” he said. “If you’re planning on coming here with violence in mind, we don’t want you.”

The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that all four events are independent of Sanders’s presidential campaign.

Sanders has repeatedly vowed he will fight Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, every step until July’s convention.

Clinton leads Sanders in total delegates nationwide, having 2,293 to his 1,533, including the unbound superdelegates who vote at the convention. That leaves her needing just 89 more to clinch the nomination with 2,382 delegates.