The Democratic National Convention summer meeting is taking place in San Francisco over the next three days with a dozen candidates for president scheduled to speak. But today the meeting kicked off with controversy as uncredentialed activists showed up and demanded to be let into a room where a couple of climate change initiatives were being discussed. From KRON 4:

The three-day Democratic National Convention summer meeting started off heated, with hundreds of people trying to get in a DNC meeting that essentially filled up.

However, activists inside saw there were many seats available, so dozens and dozens of people rushed down anyways and pushed through the doors.

The activists wanted the DNC to hold a candidate debate exclusively on climate change. They also wanted the DNC to change a rule allowing multiple candidates to appear at climate change events not sanctioned by the DNC. Activists demanded to be let into the room and expressed anger that so few chairs and so few credentials had been provided for the large meeting room:

This room is gigantic, with capacity to fit 2,200 people, and yet they only have 208 chairs. pic.twitter.com/XvNXOgvTAc

— Bay Area for Bernie (@BayArea4Bernie) August 22, 2019

Eventually, the activists just pushed their way inside. As you can see, the woman holding open the door is actually trying to shove aside the security person at the door until he tells her to back off:

Democratic Party members want @DNC to have a debate among candidates specifically on the issue of climate change. Officials said there wasn’t enough room for everyone to attend this meeting to discuss a #climatedebate but members insist there is plenty of space. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/Xjyhpp5hzT

— Allie Rasmus KTVU (@arasmusKTVU) August 22, 2019

KRON 4’s report from a bit later shows activists without credentials continued to fight (and scream) to keep the doors open. Meanwhile, the security people controlling the room were trying to close the door and prevent the uncredentialed people from getting in. Police were eventually called to sort out the mess.

Later in this clip, one of the women demanding to be allowed into the room tells KRON 4, “the DNC has not anticipated the grassroots support and passion about climate change and all the other issues.” She added, “So if they don’t want to lose their base they need to mobilize and work with us not keep people out.” That’s the internal battle the Democrats are still fighting. The Democratic Socialist left is demanding things that the establishment (and most Democrats) don’t want. Here’s the KRON 4 report. The reporter seems amazed at what she’s seeing: “There’s actually a fight going on in front of us.”

Here’s the same screaming and chanting you heard in the KRON 4 report as it sounded from inside the room:

The activists did get inside were not successful in pushing for a debate devoted exclusively to climate change:

A panel of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday rejected a proposal to host a single-issue debate on the climate crisis.

At a party conference Thursday in San Francisco, the DNC’s resolutions committee voted 17-8 against a resolution that has become a cause célèbre for activists and for more than a dozen presidential contenders who felt the traditional debate format failed to adequately address the looming threat of catastrophe. The issue could resurface during the full committee’s general session on Saturday…

The influential youth-led climate group Sunrise Movement, a driving force behind the climate debate push, filled the room where the vote took place with as many as 100 activists on Thursday.

“We deserve a chance at a livable future,” one Sunrise activist shouted after the vote. “We deserve a climate debate.”

The Sunrise Movement is the group dedicated to pushing for a Green New Deal using protest tactics employed by young activists. The group has previously occupied the offices of Sen. McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Feinstein. After losing the vote today, activists reacted by singing “Which side are you on?”

#UPDATE: @DNC committee votes down one of the resolutions to have a #ClimateChangeDebate. Activists sing & chant “which side are you on?” @KTVU #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/7RlE8hy48e

— Allie Rasmus KTVU (@arasmusKTVU) August 22, 2019