San Francisco Protesters Block Apple Bus to Demonstrate Against Evictions, Use of Public Bus Stops
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Posted December 20, 2013 at 5:45pm by iClarified
Protestors in San Francisco blocked an Apple bus carrying employees to work, demanding that Mayor Edwin Lee stop evictions in the city.
The demonstrators are upset that tech companies are using city bus stops "without permission", driving up rent costs along those routes, not contributing funds to support public infrastructure, and causing the evictions of San Francisco residents who can no longer afford rent.
A flyer handed out when the group of protestors stopped a Google bus earlier in December read as follows:
--- STOP THE EVICTIONS NOW! Today we are the SAN FRANCISCO DISPLACEMENT AND NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT AGENCY, and we're stopping the injustice in the city's two-tier system where the public pays whille private corporations gain.
Rents and evictions are on the rise. Tech-fuled real estate speculation is the culprit. We say: Enough in Enough! The keys to shape the city to their fancy without the public having any say in it. We say, lets take them back!
Tech Industry private shuttles use over 200 SF MUNI stops approximately 7,100 times in total each day (M-F) without permission or contributing funds to support this public infrastructure. No vehicles other than MUNI are allowed to use these stops. If the tech industry was forced to pay for every illegal use of these stops for the past 2 years, they would owe an estimated $1 billion. ---
You are a great judge of character! Please share more of your enlightened insight on who the "wrong" and "right" people are! Bro, you are the next mayor Ed Lee!
People blame the tech companies. Companies are offering bus service to work because the municipal system stinks. And they know that giving more money to the government for better bus service is like flushing half of it down the toilet. If those companies were smart, they would move out of California. Taxes and regulation have killed Hollywood. The film industry has moved out. New Zealand is taking Hollywood business. Tech companies are next to leave. The political climate in California is far too socialist. Everyone feels they deserve a fair slice, but not everyone is willing to work for it. If the tech companies built their own residential living spaces, and provided their own services, these same protesters would be crying about that too. Fine. Go get a job with the tech companies. Or maybe the people getting evicted should get the tech companies to leave town? See what life is like without any jobs.
TL;DR Muni sucks. New Zealand is new Hollywood. All techies leaving soon. CA = Cuba. Foxconn can solve our problems. Everyone should work in tech! Fack those otha industries!
Perhaps the tech companies could leave the area and move to another state. I would think other cities and states would fall over backwards to get the tax base these tech companies bring in. Lots of high paying jobs, paying income, sales and property taxes.
How about landlords have been harassing people (at home and even at their jobs) to move out of their house until people can't take it anymore?
How about the Ellis Act allows landlords to remove people from their home even if they've been living their most of their lives?
After all this, you really think it's JUST people not being able to pay their rent??(although I can say it's hard because rent has gone but so much!!) It's about landlords, city developers and so many people who are looking out more profit than they are the people. And tech companies are a big cause of this. Their presence has changed the whole culture and structure and has made it practically inaccessible!
The use of public transportation stops and increased rents are two separate issues but similar in that tech companies are not paying a fair share. For example, Twitter received a payroll tax break that will end up costing the city $54 million. So, while new wealthy tech folks move in, driving up rents and forcing longterm tenants out, tech companies are avoiding paying for the investments needed in our community.