Heavy Rain Clears Protesters From Philly Streets
PHILADELPHIA — Heavy rain is washing out protests on the last day of the Democratic National Convention.
A wave of thunderstorms, which were expected to stick around into the evening, brought an abrupt end to a "Black Men for Bernie" rally at Thomas Paine Plaza on Thursday afternoon. Pro-marijuana marchers did take to the streets, but fewer than 50 turned out to an event that more than 400 had pledged to attend.
The skies cleared long enough for the Revolutionary Communist Party to stage a flag-burning near the security gate that surrounds the Wells Fargo Center compound. But a small scuffle ensued and the flag appeared mostly intact at the end.
A performance artist and political activist named Vermin Supreme, wearing a signature rain boot on his head, set a flag-themed hat ablaze with more success while an associate chanted, "Hats are evil!" and "Break out the marshmallows." Afterward, Supreme -- who considers himself a peacemaker when tempers flare during protests -- called it "a bit of a spoof, a bit of a goof."
It was unclear if the threat of more rain later in the evening would keep protesters away from the gates, which have been the focal point of demonstrations on previous nights.
The DNC protests have been largely peaceful and have resulted in few arrests because Philadelphia enacted a law allowing police to give violations to those practicing civil disobedience.
On Wednesday night, the Secret Service arrested seven people who barreled through security gates ringing the arena. Another 34 protesters were given citations after they used Uber cars and fake credentials to get through one checkpoint and staged a sit-in at a gate used by delegates and guests.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross told NBC News the the gate-crashing didn't worry him.
"Did you see how quickly it took for us to get that under control? I think it was 20 seconds," he said. "To me, it was a little bit bizarre that people chose to walk into a federal charge.
"We had those people outnumbered. And 99% of those there were peaceful," he added. "They were actually helpful to us."
Ross said police anticipated there could be extra protest action on the last night of the convention, "but we plan for that."