Cosumnes River College Student Hits the Barricades for 'Occupy Sacramento'

Sacramentans are taking to the streets—or in this case, Cesar Chavez Park—Thursday morning in solidarity with that is gaining increased traction nationwide. Organizers say their encampment will last through Oct. 15. Elk Grove Patch spoke with Cosumnes River College student Jeff Neves, who helped organize the protest, about why he did it.

You're a political science major and father of five who graduated from Elk Grove High School. How has the current economic crisis affected Elk Grove residents and CRC students?

I know lots of people in Elk Grove, where I lived and went to school for a lot of years. Elk Grove is one of the most affected areas for home foreclosures. At the same time, the big banks that got bailed out with taxpayer money when the home market crashed are not helping out these same homeowners to stay in their houses. At CRC, more students are out of work and applying for financial aid to make ends meet. So they are racking up more debt. Where are the jobs for them to repay their loans?

Do you see Elk Grove residents getting involved with Occupy Sacramento?

Elk Grove is a 99-percent town of working people deep in debt as the one percent gets richer. There are lots of folks there who should get involved with Occupy Sacramento. Typically, college students, whether out of high school or seasoned workers returning to school for more training, have a lot of passion for social movements. We have CRC students on our Facebook page who have said that they’d come to OS. We haven’t done a roll call school-by-school yet.  

Why begin Occupy Sacramento?

I’ve been watching Occupy Wall Street, and did some research. After that I knew that it was time for such a protest in Sacramento. I am one of the 99 percent who is disenfranchised and being taken advantage of. I am going to come out of school with $40,000 to $50,000 in debt, while large banks and corporations are raking in billions of dollars in profits. The middle class is wasting away.  

What are the demands of Occupy Sacramento?

Because this is a movement of the 99 percent, we are trying to keep our demands very general. We want money out of politics. We want good jobs with living wages. We don’t want debt to enslave us. The common goal is systemic change to improve the lives of the 99 percent. 

Where do labor unions fit into Occupy Sacramento?

We have people in labor unions participating in Occupy Sacramento. But Occupy Sacramento is not a union-backed movement. We do have endorsement from the Service Employees International Union and the California Nurses Association.

Who else is part of Occupy Sacramento?

We have people in the ACLU donating their time as part of our legal team.

Where do the Democratic and Republican parties fit into Occupy Sacramento?

They don’t. This is a non-partisan movement.

Who are your intellectual influences?

Mohandas Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.