I grew up a squatter on the Lower East Side, so it's kind of a given that I'd have very strong opinions on everything from cyclical violence to teenage pregnancy to environmental justice.

I'm a New Yorker, so I have the sort of tough vein that's naturally bred into me. In general, I'm a nice person, and that seems to surprise people sometimes.

I think nuance is very important to have in the conversation, nuance that's been lacking for a long time. A lot of voting organizations only exist every four years, putting all this money into "your voice is important!" Wouldn't that be nice, if that's all it took? Voting is the first political action for most people. But if you don't follow up then voting is not actual participation but just a one-off.

I grew up a squatter on the Lower East Side, so it's kind of a given that I'd have very strong opinions on everything from cyclical violence to teenage pregnancy to environmental justice.

You can only avoid responsibility for so long. The catalyst ended up being the law coming down and finally saying, 'You guys suspended judgement and that's fine, because we're not.

With the recession, people are having to choose between their cable and their internet connection. And think about it.

When people start to complain, "Voting doesn't matter," I'm like, the people of Wisconsin weren't boycotting and hitting the streets and blowing up those rooms because voting didn't change those situations for them. That was their livelihood. There's revolution going on all over the world because they actually can't have a voice.