Day 3 Of Protests At The DNC: 7 Arrests, More Than 1,000 Demonstrators

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The third day of protests in Philadelphia connected to the Democratic National Convention led to a significant number of arrests and citations after protesters reportedly breached the exterior security fence at the Wells Fargo Center.

Protesters of various kinds had gathered on Broad and Pattison streets each day near one of the main entrances to the arena for those with credentials. Across the street is FDR Park, which officials had designated as a "designated protest area." While protesters seemed to fall in line with this regulation on Day 1, gathering beneath a grove of trees in a corner of the park, demonstrations quickly spilled out into the streets and pressed up against the wrought-iron gates and fences securing the convention.

Things reached a fever pitch on Wednesday night as several protesters somehow managed to breach the outer fence on Broad Street, entering into a restricted area, Philadelphia Police said.

Although police and Secret Service were waiting for them in the restricted area and seven people were swiftly arrested, they still managed to start a small fire, which burned one woman who tried to put it out, according to Police Commissioner Richard Ross.

Most of the protesters lingering at the gates and picketing the delegates as they enter are Bernie Sanders supporters, but a panoply of Black Lives Matter supporters, religious extremists, libertarians and other unknown elements are also consistently present.

The protesters face federal felony charges after being turned over to Secret Service, Ross said.

One of the protesters that was arrested was 69-year-old Anne Marie Sternberg, a grandmother from California who thought that she would get a slap on the wrist and a $50 fine, Philadelphia Magazine reports.

“I’m a mother, I’m a grandmother," Sternberg told Philadelphia Magazine. "I see, like so many of us see, the death throes of our democracy. I see the students, the young people fighting, and I came here to support them, to stand up for our democracy."

Image courtesy Justin Heinze