Sanders supporters spread the word above Deegan

Barry Knittle said he woke up at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 18 to begin work on two signs. For almost 10 hours, he wove strings of lights through the 2-foot-by-6-foot placards. Once the lights were in place and the posters sat side by side, they radiated the message, “Bernie 2016.”

Mr. Knittle made the signs as part of the evening’s Light Brigade, a nationwide event organized by Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. Between 30 and 40 groups met around the country to illuminate the night with messages of support for the Democratic candidate, who is waging an uphill battle against the party’s favorite in the contest, Hillary Clinton. Last week’s event was the only one in the Bronx to be found on a website for Mr. Sanders’ campaign.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone like Bernie,” said Jeff Krasiner, who commuted from Queens to partake in the canvassing. A number of campaign pins and buttons decorated Mr. Krasiner’s wardrobe for the evening and he said his fashionable endorsement for Mr. Sanders is still a work in progress.

“Every meeting, there’s a different button,” he explained.

A group of about 10 supporters gathered at the Bronx Ale House on West 238th Street around 4 p.m. and explained why Mr. Sanders was their man.

“It goes back to when I was a kid with FDR, the best president I ever saw in my life. Bernie is very similar,” said Riverdale resident Bob Molgrom.

“And he’s bringing class back into the discourse along with other forms of diversity,” concurred Mr. Molgrom’s wife, Doris Maat.

Mr. Sanders’ support for activist movements like Occupy Wall Street made a big impact on the couple. His stance on environmental issues was a draw for others. Riverdalian Alan Saks cited Mr. Sanders’ vocal opposition to the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, which contributed to Ms. Clinton’s campaign, as a deciding factor in his decision to back the Vermont senator. For others, like Mr. Knittle, Mr. Sanders’ call to redistribute wealth and promise to take on big banks made the decision a no-brainer.