Green Party VP candidate visits South Bend

The Green Party vice presidential candidate visited South Bend Monday.

Ajamu Baraka listened to and spoke to voters at Chicory Café.

Many supporters say they’re tired of the two-party system.

“Hillary seems to be faking it, and Donald Trump obviously doesn’t care,” Nnenia Okereke said.

Voter Jennifer O’Brien agrees.

“These candidates are not entitled to our votes. They should be earning them,” O’Brien said.

Many visitors at Chicory Monday shared similar sentiments, and listened carefully to Baraka.

“Voting for one or the other of the status quo parties is really not good enough in 2016,” Barak said.

Baraka, who lived in South Bend for two years and went to Riley High School, addressed eliminating income inequality, reducing student debt, and fighting racism.

These issues resonate with some former Bernie Sanders supporters.

“We are in fact a continuation from the Bernie Sanders revolution,” Baraka said.

Okereke is one of those former Sanders supporters.

“I did vote for Bernie. He didn’t quite make it so I definitely made it over to the green party as soon as I found out who they were,” Okereke said.

Like Sanders, the Green Party is losing votes.

Polls show the party’s popularity dropping.

“We’re not giving up,” Baraka says.

While he likely won’t get elected as Vic President, he says it’s about voices like those in Michiana, coming together to build something new in an old system.

“Anytime we’re able to expand democracy, in this country, any time we are able to raise questions of social justice, and to talk about defending human rights, we in fact win,” Baraka said