My wife and I were at the rally yesterday - I'm one of the few commenters hereabouts who was. We arrived an hour early and left after almost everyone else, and after a long conversation with State Senator Jayapal, whose unedited thoughts are here.
And, after letting the painful reactions subside, and reading many, many comments, for me it comes down to one bottom line: the protesters were given the courtesy of time to speak. Bernie Sanders was not given that courtesy.
And yet, somehow, they are the victims.
More context below.
The fact that they had nothing to say that hadn't already been said (again, you had to be there to understand the full context of that remark), and no solutions to offer for the grievances they did make; the fact that they harangued and insulted the crowd, that they had more time at the mike than many of the other speakers; the fact that almost everyone in the crowd had come specifically to hear Bernie: These are merely incidental. They did not extend to him the opportunity - in their case demanded - that had been given to them. If that is the strategy of BLM, or of just these two women, I want it to be clearly stated.
This was an unforced, unnecessary disaster.