Doc Hop

Last week I trekked to Downtown LA for the Hands Off! National Day of Action protests, and this week I found myself back for Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s Fighting Oligarchy tour!

The event drew more than 36,000 attendees and featured performances by Joan Baez, Maggie Rogers, and Neil Young, as well as speeches from Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Rep. Ro Khanna. The rally focused on opposing corporate influence in politics and advocating for policies such as Medicare for All and wealth taxation, highlighting the tour’s emphasis on grassroots mobilization and resistance to policies favoring the wealthy.​

The gates opened at 9 a.m., but since the main program did not begin until 1 p.m., I allowed myself a slow morning. I worked on a research project until about 9:30 a.m., made it to the Willow Street Metro station around 10 a.m., and entered Gloria Molina Grand Park around 11 a.m. It was already PACKED by the time I got there and filling up more by the second, but I managed to squeeze up pretty close toward the left of the main stage. I had a side-view, but a pretty good one!

The two hours leading up to AOC and Bernie’s appearance were packed with powerful, passionate speeches from local labor leaders, university faculty, and municipal workers—each underscoring the urgency of the moment and grounding the national message in real, local struggles.

Joan Baez took the stage just before 1 p.m., opening with “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” and updating the lyrics to “Ain’t gonna let no white supremacists turn me around” and “ain’t gonna let those lousy billionaires turn me around.” (As if I needed another reason to love her.) She followed with ‘There But For Fortune‘ and closed with a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’ My favorite moment came later, when Maggie Rogers brought her back out to perform Bob Dylan’s folk classic ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.’ They ended with a duet of ‘America the Beautiful,‘ with Baez calling for ‘sisterhood from sea to shining sea.’”

Neil Young closed out the set before AOC and Sanders took the stage, leading the crowd in a ‘take America back’ chant, punctuated by electric guitar and harmonica. He opened with ‘Rainbow of Colors‘ and launched into ‘Rockin’ in the Free World,’ joined mid-song by Baez, who echoed “power to the people” on backup vocals. He was fine, but I was much more impressed with Baez.

And then it was AOC’s turn at the mic, BABY!!

AOC expressed concern over the increasing influence of “power, greed, and corruption” in U.S. politics, emphasizing the need to confront these issues. She criticized certain California lawmakers for supporting President Trump’s policies, specifically naming Representatives David Valadao and Young Kim.

Cortez said, “It will never be just institutions and officials alone that uphold our democracy. It will always be the people, the masses who refuse to comply with authoritarian regimes.”

Additionally, AOC highlighted recent attempts by federal immigration officials to enter Los Angeles Unified School District campuses, commending school staff for protecting students’ rights and resisting authoritarian measures.

“It was the teachers and principals, as they stood strong and said, ‘No,’ to protect their kids when it could have been easier to say yes out of fear,” she said.

As a professor in the California state school system, I’m proud to stand with these educators. And as a California worker, I am proud to stand with my union.

Sanders headlined the event, and began by criticizing the growing influence of billionaires in American politics — specifically calling out the likes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. He condemned proposed tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts to social safety nets such as Social Security and Medicare, emphasizing the need to protect these programs for working-class Americans.

“We are watching our country descend into a fascist oligarchy right before our eyes,” he said.

My favorite part of Bernie’s speech, however, came when he emphasized the importance of economic rights as fundamental human rights. He reiterated his longstanding advocacy for a 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights, which would provide health care, affordable housing, education, a living wage, and retirement security to all Americans. He argued that “economic rights are human rights” — a principle rooted in the belief that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. Because it’s hard to care about your vote when you’re starving.

But alas, I’ve buried the lede—because the absolute highlight of my day, week, month, year (maybe even life) came after the rally had ended.

Remember how I slipped in on the left side? Well, I happened to snatch a spot right next to the area where speakers entered and exited the stage. Meaning that AOC and Bernie walked RIGHT by me. So close, in fact, that I was able to shake AOC’s hand as she left the event! WHAT?! I’d say that I’m never washing this hand again, but I already have. Hopefully one day (in 2028) I’ll be able to say that I shook the hand of the first woman ever to be elected as president.

Once I’d collected myself and texted just about everyone I know, I headed to the Historic Broadway Metro stop, which was overflowing with ralliers. After moving toward the front of the line, I helped a tourist figure out how to use a Metro card and felt like a true Angeleno. (As long as she did not ask any follow-up questions.) The train back to Long Beach was pretty full, but that made the time pass all the faster. Everyone in my cart was buzzing on a post-rally high, and the anti-Trump/Elon energy was palpable. Given the right time and place — collective energy like that can change the world.

Back at home, I walked Lemon and ordered a “chicken” Caesar salad wrap from Veggie Grill. It came with free fries, which, honestly — was just the perfect way to end an already momentous day. I don’t eat out very often, but when I do it’s usually because I’m either really happy or really sad. Today was the former.

“We’re living at a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country. We’re living in a moment with a president who has no understanding or respect for the Constitution of the United States and, let us make no doubt about it, moving us rapidly toward an authoritarian form of society. And, Mr. Trump, we ain’t going there.”  — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt)