Sanders Ad Filmed At Brooklyn College Hits TV Airwaves

A television ad for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, which was filmed at Brooklyn College on April 1st and directed by Spike Lee, is now getting airtime.

The Sanders ad — which is airing now on major television affiliates in New York City — features Harry Belafonte, Erica Garner, Shaun King and Linda Sarsour speaking directly to the camera about why they are supporting the former Brooklyn College student for president. Sanders’ “underdog” campaign has attracted significant attention in our area.

In the last few days, we’ve spoken with several Brooklyn College students who are Sanders supporters. Here’s what they had to say:

“Out of every politician running, Sanders is the only one who wants everyone to benefit from his policies. He’s the only honest person and he’s the only guy who looks out for others. He has been involved with helping others since he worked with people during the Civil Rights movement.” — Lauren Tennant, Junior

“I support Bernie because he’s not Hillary or Trump. Trump is a lunatic. Bernie has a level head and has more years on the job than anyone else running. I like his foreign policy because I’m a veteran and I know he’s the most qualified to keep us out of conflicts.” — John Tucker, Junior

“Well, first of all, Black Lives Matter. And he’s a people person. He generally cares about the population and he wants to help. He is the only candidate who I feel like would really be looking out for everyone’s best interest. He’s a good guy.” — Rebecca Johnson, Senior

“I love Bernie cause he’s fighting for me. His heart is in a good place. Not all his policies will get through, but he’ll do the right thing as president.” — Shmona Zhukouski, Sophomore

“Bernie supports genuine equality for all people of color and all genders. He has always supported the protection of our environment and he knows how important that is.” — Kristen Walsh, Sophomore

“FDR had the same mentality. He brought us out of the Great Depression with huge social programs. We need to continue those social programs and aid the individuals regardless of how they fall in the demographic.” — Brandon Gordon, 5th year student

“To be honest, he is the best candidate, but I’m kind of forced to choose Bernie. People love socialism but I’m not quite sure where all the money for his programs will come from.” — Rita Kumar, Sophomore

“He’s the only candidate who is anti-war, but I don’t necessarily support all of his socialist views.” — Jonathan Smith, Senior

Of course, not every Brooklyn College we spoke with was charmed by Sanders’ Brooklyn accent. For instance, we met two fraternity brothers who said they were supporting GOP contender Donald Trump because they “agreed with his views” and he would “get things done.”

Ben Cohn provided additional reporting for this story.