Congresswoman Recommends Bars of Soap to Occupy Redwood City

She was on her way out from the Century movie theatres when a in caught Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s eye.

Eshoo did a double take, turned around and even asked her friends to wait while she went to chat with the protesters, said Sabrina Brennan, an Occupy protester and small business owner in Moss Beach.

Eshoo explained, “It made me feel proud to know that there are people who care enough about their community and their country to stand out in the cold to express their beliefs.”

And rather than remain a passive bystander, Eshoo offered a suggestion: bars of soap.

She felt strongly that Occupy’s number one bi-partisan focus should be on cleaning up campaign financing, and that the bars of soap could be the symbol for this demand.

“If the Occupy movement got behind one issue, campaign finance reform, this issue would have a real knock out punch,” Eshoo said. “It speaks to every issue in one fell swoop.”

By changing the way politicians receive campaign donations, policy makers would have to pay attention to the people rather than catering to special interests, she said.

“I thought it was kind of cute,” Brennan said of the soap suggestion. “I was delighted that she wants to participate and make a suggestion.”

The Occupy Redwood City protesters will consider Eshoo’s suggestion at today’s General Assembly, Brennan said.

But not all Occupy-ers were pleased with Eshoo’s suggestion.

James Hobredo, the Communications and Media representative for Occupy Redwood City, who was not able to attend the Nov. 25 general assembly, said that while he was very glad that the Congresswoman stopped by, he was wary of any elected official trying to make overtures to any Occupy movement.

“She should have been there to listen to us and take our concerns back to Washington instead of trying to impose her ideas on our group, no matter how well-intentioned she most probably was,” said Hobredo.

Soap, or Education Reform?

Though Eshoo has been the only elected official to participate in the protests, many officials have expressed opinions about the movement.

State Senator Joe Simitian said he similarly approves of the Occupy movement as emblematic of the right to assembly.

“I think there is value in a tangible visible manifestation of anger and frustration,” Simitian said. “And I think that’s what Occupy has been.”

But Simitian recognized that all nascent movements don’t naturally coalesce into a unified movement of precise clarity.

“You don’t just show up one day and sort of have that ten-point plan,” he said. “My hope is that it will emerge with greater clarity and specificity over time.”

However, he added that a clear set of goals was absolutely necessary if this movement is to have a long-term impact.

And as a resident of the Bay Area, Simitian has also expressed this same frustration as many of the Occupy protesters. He pointed to his own background in which he was able to attend UC Berkeley for his Masters and law degree—for free.

“That’s the American model of opportunity,” he said. “But we are in serious danger of losing that opportunity for advancement that we have taken for granted for a very long time.”

With increasing tuition costs and exorbitant student debts, Simitian said there is inherent inequality because not everyone can afford to obtain higher education.

So if education is a value that Americans—and the Occupy protesters—are unwilling to forego, then they have to “put their money where they mouth is,” he suggested. Public education and higher education needs to be funded on a level where all Americans have access to similar education.

“And if you don’t fund it, you can’t say that that’s a value that you hold,” he said.

Occupy Movement: ‘Well-intentioned, but Mis-directed”

In contrast, many have been critical of the Occupy movement for not rallying behind clearly articulated goals. Mayor Jeff Ira said the Occupy movement as a whole is “well-intentioned but mis-directed.”

“They need to figure out what they want,” Ira said. “People are showing up frustrated, but other than being completely frustrated with the way things are right now, there isn’t much unity.”

He did thank the Occupy Redwood City protesters specifically for their peaceful general assemblies, which starkly contrast with riots that had happened in Oakland and most recently Los Angeles.

“I’m just so thankful that they’re not going over the top like in other cities, causing further financial strain,” Ira said.

The Mayor said he fully supports the right to protest, but with that “comes responsibility.”

He criticized other Occupy movements for incurring more city expenses by requiring police overtime and public works money to repair damaged infrastructure.

“I can’t figure out why people are doing that,” Ira said. “They’re funneling money away from the people who need [police and public works’] services the most, and Oakland is already broke.”

As a whole, Mayor Ira said he still doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the protesters’ dissatisfaction over income inequality.

“It is what it is, it’s always been that way, and it will always be that way,” he said.

He said that CEOs of businesses had become the unnecessary targets of protesters’ anger.

“They work 24/7, yet athletes and celebrities make $10 million to play a game,” he noted. “Why is no one bothered that [R&B artist] Usher is making all this money?”

Ira stood by his belief that businesses making money is what holds the economy together.

“I just don’t think this is a well thought-out argument,” he said.

General Assemblies Will Still

While many encampments have been broken up by local police, the peaceful protests of Redwood City will continue even as the has taken over their original location, Courthouse Square.

These protests are casual and can be described much more as a gathering than an angry riot.

“There’s no pressure to stay the whole time,” Brennan said. “Come late, leave early, speak or not speak.”

She acknowledges that the 5 p.m. start time on Friday evening is difficult for many people because most of the protesters have jobs.

“We’re not homeless students who can afford to camp out in tents for days,” Brennan said. “We have jobs.”

But if real change is to come, Eshoo said this dedication is fundamental to any action in the Congress. The Congresswoman said that the mass voices of the people are ultimately what drive Congressmembers to take action.

“Civil rights didn’t happen because the Congress was so inspired that they thought they had to do something about it,” Eshoo said. “It happened because people turned up in community after community demanding that their government make changes.”

And with the momentum the Occupy movements have gained nationally and worldwide, politicians like Eshoo have taken notice.