Neighbors Not Surprised at Activist Stacey Hessler
Stacey Hessler, 38 -- a self-described “vegan freak” who’s into dreadlocks, roller derby and “unschooling” her kids -- acts like a self-obsessed college sophomore who never grew up, said a neighbor in her hometown of DeLand, Fla.
“I’m not disgusted she took off to protest -- because I’m not surprised she would leave her kids behind and go radical. She’s very bizarre,” seethed one next-door neighbor who asked that her name not be published.
On her Facebook page, Hessler wrote about being a surrogate mom. She also boasted of a panoply of California-style beliefs.
She called herself a “radical unschooling mom of four, midwives assistant, roller-derby queen, rock-star musician, activist, dreadlock princess, African-bee keeper, organic vegan freak and a surrogate for the second time.”
Hessler has gotten even more hippie since she arrived in New York. In Zuccotti Park, she’s been sharing a tarp with a Brooklyn waiter and plans to stay “indefinitely.”
The waiter, Rami Shamir, vehemently declined to comment at his job last night.
While she doesn’t get much love from a bristling neighbor, pals of Hessler clearly support her Occupy Wall Street outing.
One friend in New York called Hessler and her family “one of the most amazing and beautiful and loving families that I’ve ever encountered.”
The friend also explained how Hessler came to be part of the protest.
“She had been following this movement on her own through Facebook and YouTube and whatever, and she decided she wanted to come up to New York. And her family said, ‘Go, mom, go. This is what you want to do,’ ” said Lauren Napoli, 28, a waitress and home health aide.
“This is what she believes in, and she feels she needs to be here,” Napoli said. “She’s not being irresponsible.”
Napoli said Hessler and her tarp mate are not “bunking up in a little tent.”
“It’s not like that -- everyone who’s there, we’re trying to support each other, and when it rains you need to be under a structure.”
“I’ve been right next to her when she’s been on the phone with her kids,” she added. “It was her youngest daughter’s birthday recently and she called and said ‘happy birthday.’ ”
Napoli said she’s sure Hessler will return home -- “I’m sure eventually she’ll miss them and she’ll say, ‘My goal is done here.’ ”
Napoli said all in Hessler’s circle of friends are supportive of her political activism, helping getting her kids to activities.
And she’s also sure Hessler’s banker husband is on board with her demonstrating.
“From what she said to me, her family supports her.”
Hessler wouldn’t comment yesterday, and her family remained mum as well.
posted by Dot Calm @ 7:53 AM
