Protesters block tech buses before SFMTA meeting
Anti-gentrifications protesters block a corporate employee shuttle bus in San Francisco. (Kurtis Alexander)
Anti-gentrification protesters again blocked tech buses carrying workers out of San Francisco on Tuesday morning. This time, just after 9 a.m., they blocked a pair of shuttles downtown, near Eighth and Market streets and close to City Hall, where later in the day the SFMTA is scheduled to consider a pilot program that would charge bus operators a fee to use Muni stops — $1 per day per stop.
For some, the buses, used by companies like Google and Apple, have become symbols of income disparity in San Francisco. Others credit the buses with taking cars off the road, reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
On Tuesday, the few dozen protesters — who were nearly outnumbered by members of the media — plastered a sign on one of the coaches that read “Gentrification and Eviction Technologies” in Google-type script. They chanted, “Stop evictions.” By 9:45 a.m., police had cleared out the crowd and the buses had departed, though their destination was not clear.
The protest came a day after it was revealed that Google’s PR department had encouraged employees to attend the SFMTA meeting — giving them ready-made talking points.
Why do these rabble rousers have more rights then the citizens on the bus?
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