I’ve been feeling the Bern since before the phrase was even coined. Going into 2015, I’d been hoping Bernie Sanders would run for President, and when he finally did, I immediately signed up for campaign updates. For me, he’s the candidate that best represents my views on issues like climate change, income inequality, campaign finance, social justice, and online privacy. Even when I don’t agree with him, I can at least trust that it’s how he honestly feels about the issue--and in a time when cynicism about politics is so high and Congress would rather have petty partisan fights than actually attempt to govern, that’s incredibly refreshing.

So when I found out he was holding a rally in Oakland, I knew I had to be there. I’d been waiting for the chance to see him speak for over a year by then, and I wasn’t about to pass a golden opportunity up. I put in an online RSVP as soon as I heard about the event, and on the day of the event, I started on my way to BART at about 10:30 in the morning. The listed start time was at 2 pm, and I knew how packed these rallies usually got, so I wanted to make sure I was there early.

Thanks to some track repairs, that trip took a lot longer than I expected, but I was still reasonably early, and when I got to the event, the vibe was overwhelmingly positive. Donald Trump might think Oakland is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but even if that was the case, the way things went at this rally would make that claim look laughable. Despite the absurdly long line, which snaked back and forth down 14th Street for blocks and blocks and didn’t even start moving at a decent pace until about 3 o’clock, and the late May heat, there was an almost party-like atmosphere, as people of all ages, races, gender and sexual identities, and walks of life came together, chatting in line while street vendors hawked endless varieties of Bernie-themed T-shirts and buttons. It was rare to see someone who wasn’t wearing Bernie paraphernalia, Golden State Warriors gear--hey, Game 7 of the conference finals was on that night--or both. In many ways, I think this crowd embodied the idea of, as Bernie likes to say, “people coming together” to form a “political revolution.” We came from all over, we embodied every demographic there is in America, and we were united behind Bernie and the progressive cause.

By the time I finally got in at around 3:30, the area around city hall was already packed. I couldn’t even tell where the stage was--as it turned out, it was right in front of city hall, below the field where most of the crowd was standing. As a result, most of us, myself included, only got to hear Bernie Sanders, rather than see him. I get that the campaign wanted the image of Bernie in front of city hall, but honestly, I’m still a little miffed that the stage wasn’t positioned where the whole crowd could see him. In the grand scheme of things, though, it’s a minor complaint.

The speakers before Bernie--Gus Newport, former mayor of Berkeley, and Robert Reich, a professor at Cal and the Secretary of Labor under President Clinton--were good picks, given how closely tied they are to the area and their public speaking ability, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Bernie. Over the course of roughly an hour, he covered the many aspects of his platform--and I do mean many. He sometimes gets portrayed as a single-issue candidate, but he spent just as much time on education, social justice, the War on Drugs, climate change, and social welfare as he did on his signature issues of income inequality and campaign finance.

If you’ve seen videos of him speaking, then you kind of know what to expect--he’s passionate, he talks about a political revolution, he waves his hands around like an Italian--I would know, I do that too--and he knows when to incorporate a bit of dry, deadpan humor. He cracked jokes about his hair, his Warriors hat--”I just want to make sure I’m wearing the right hat,” he said early on, which the crowd affirmed with cheers and applause--and most of all, he made fun of Donald Trump. In particular, Bernie dragged Trump on the issue of climate change, sarcastically talking about the “years of research” Trump must have done in order to conclude that the drought in California isn’t real and global warming is a hoax invented by China. It’s the kind of humor that lets Bernie effortlessly zing Trump without having to resort to the name-calling tactics Trump so often uses. I think no matter who wins the Democratic nomination in Philly, we’ll be seeing a lot of that type of humor about Trump from Bernie as the party unites for the general election.

Sadly, the Oakland rally didn’t get much attention from the press. Honestly, I can kind of see why. Bernie draws massive crowds all the time, so that’s nothing new, and therefore nothing to make a headline out of. There were also no violent clashes with the police, so there was nothing to make a headline out of there. The only thing that happened that seemed to pick up much coverage was when some animal rights activists tried to rush the stage, only to be stopped by the Secret Service. Honestly, in the moment, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I didn’t even know what exactly had been going on; I knew from the fact that Bernie suddenly stopped talking and sounds of disarray up front that some kind of protesters had shown up. Then everyone just started chanting “Bernie! Bernie!” until the protesters were gone, at which point Bernie said, “We don’t get intimidated easily.” Based on that, I’d assumed the protestors were more along the lines of Trump supporters--you know, like nativists or psychotic racists or something else along those along those lines. I didn’t even find out who really did it until I got home.

With the primaries drawing to a close soon, I would recommend that, if Bernie comes through your area, you at least make an attempt to attend, no matter who you support. Actually, if you’re a Trump supporter, maybe don’t--you’ll feel personally attacked by all the anti-Trump signs and merchandise. But if you’re for anyone else, whether that’s Bernie, Hillary, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, even Vermin Supreme, take the opportunity to hear Bernie in person if you get the chance. Even if it doesn’t change your mind, you’ll at least have a better sense of what this political revolution is all about.