Bernie Sanders draws large crowd to Portland, Oregon, arena
PORTLAND, Ore. » Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday night spoke to his second packed crowd in the Pacific Northwest as supporters filled Portland’s Moda Center to hear the Vermont senator talk about income inequality and other issues.
About 19,000 people cheered Sanders in the arena that is home to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. The rally had originally been scheduled at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has a capacity of about 12,000, but was moved in anticipation of large crowds.
Sanders spoke for about an hour and touched on things like sustainable energy, the need for affordable higher education and the environment. But much of his speech centered on economic issues.
Sanders said income inequality was "the great moral issue of our time."
"This campaign is sending a message to the billionaire class – yes, we have the courage to take you on," he said.
On Saturday Sanders spoke to a packed audience at the University of Washington campus, but earlier in the day in Seattle Sanders was shoved aside by Black Lives Matter activists who called for changes to the criminal justice system. Sanders eventually left the Saturday afternoon event at Seattle’s Westlake Park without giving his speech.
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Sanders heads to an event in Los Angeles on Monday.