2026-02-20
The Empathy Tent Team at
2026 Democratic Convention SF CA
Friday, February 20 - Sunday, February 22, 2026
Embedded Files
The Empathy Team: William, Christine, Bill and Edwin
The Empathy Tent team attended the 2026 California Democratic Party Convention in San Francisco from Friday, February 20 through Saturday, February 21 to promote the Empathy Movement. (We have attended the California Republican State Convention before as well.)
We spent time in the Moscone West Dem Café, where we set up at one of the tables and engaged attendees in conversation. We also walked through the convention halls to connect with participants and share information about the Empathy Movement and its goal of making mutual empathy a core cultural value.
Our activities included:
Talking with attendees about the Empathy Movement and its vision.
Asking people whether they support the Empathy Movement, and taking photos of supporters holding a sign reading, “I Support the Empathy Movement.”
Offering “Free Empathy” conversations and handing out Free Empathy cards.
Attempting to connect with California gubernatorial candidates to ask whether they support the Empathy Movement and whether they would be willing to participate in a Candidate Empathy Circle. We were not able to connect with any candidates during this event.
Edwin spoke briefly with California Senator Adam Schiff, who was walking through the convention, and mentioned the Empathy Movement.
Bill and Edwin were interviewed; the interview aired on a local TV station and was also mentioned in a news article.
Overall, the convention provided valuable opportunities to raise awareness, engage with community members, and build support for the Empathy Movement.
Edwin Talks to California Senator Adam Schiff about the Empathy Movement
Media
By John Ramos
February 21, 2026
Over the weekend, San Francisco's Moscone Center played host to the California Democratic Convention. While no one was expecting any big decisions about endorsing a candidate for governor, it was an opportunity for people to get together to begin deciding the future of the Democratic Party in California.
…
But if people are feeling unheard, perhaps the party can take a lesson from another group at the convention. Sitting at a mostly-empty table were advocates for something called the "Empathy Movement." They've been traveling the campaign trail, advocating for both parties to sit down and begin talking and listening to each other for the sake of the nation.
"You know, sometimes it's like a marriage," said an empathetic Edwin Rutsch from El Cerrito. "People stop listening to each other until things get so bad they finally go to couples therapy. So, sometimes you just have to wait until things get so bad that people are finally willing to try something else."
"If you look at the news and you hear people who are very angry, they don't feel heard," said Bill Filler. "I think that's universal. And when they do feel heard, there's a shift."
We were on TV on KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA!
California democrats converge in San Francisco for party's state convention
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