Sanders protesters to camp in N.J.
Some Bernie Sanders supporters are planning to camp out in South Jersey while protesting at the Democratic National Convention here next month.
Some Bernie Sanders supporters are planning to camp out in South Jersey while protesting at the Democratic National Convention here next month.
Laurie Cestnick, who has been organizing Sanders supporters through an Occupy DNC Convention July 2016 Facebook page, said protesters were "starting to book up all the campsites" as other lodging options fill up.
Cestnick, who volunteered on phone banks for Sanders and lives outside Boston, said she didn't know how many people affiliated with the group were planning to camp or go to the convention. The Facebook page has 25,000 followers.
Organizers have shared information on the page about Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, Old Cedar Campground in Monroeville, and Four Seasons Family Campground in Pilesgrove, as well as plans to organize buses.
Cheryl Robinson, an owner at Four Seasons, said she had booked people who are associated with the protests and expects the site to fill up soon for those days.
The area can hold at least 400 people, and two adults with children can stay for $35 per night, she said.
"The only other time where we maxed it out was when the pope came," Robinson said. "We're very excited about it."
A Timberlane staff member said the campground had not been fully booked, while an Old Cedar worker said the campground is not booking any Sanders protesters during the time of the convention. Cestnick said the campground probably was not aware of whether guests it books would be going to the convention.
With Four Seasons, "we were very open about it. They couldn't care less," Cestnick said. "There's a lot of families and children. . . . This isn't a big ruckus."
Sanders supporters in the group began booking places to stay a couple of weeks ago, Cestnick said.
She formed the Facebook page five weeks ago, feeling disaffected with the voting process - "the level of fraud has been so extreme" - and media coverage she considered unfair.
While Hillary Clinton claimed the title of presumptive Democratic nominee this week, "we're going [to the convention] because the intent is to flip the superdelegates to Bernie," Cestnick said.
Asked what would happen if Sanders formally ended his campaign before then, she said, "He won't."
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Staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.