Sign outside of Google I/O protest in June 2014. Photo by Leslie Nguyen Okwu.
Google I/O, the tech titan’s largest conference for developers, is underway at the Moscone Center. As with all things tech these days, such an event does not go on without a good helping of dissent.
We’ve received word that housing activists and union members will be on hand outside Moscone to challenge Google to the task of living up to their infamously tricky credo, “Don’t Be Evil.” In activists’ minds, that means helping San Francisco mitigate the impact of Silicon Valley on housing affordability.
We’ll have live updates aggregated below and reported first-hand from our on-the-ground reporter Leslie Nguyen-Okwu. Keep refreshing your browser!
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Update: We spoke with Claudia Tirado, who confirmed that she was, in fact, the protester who interrupted Google I/O. Tirado is currently a resident facing eviction from 812 Guerrero, which is owned by Google lawyer Jack Halprin.
According to Tirado, an I/O conference employee gave her a badge and let her in, so she was able to sneak past security and the guards and into the conference onto the stage.
“I just want to play, Google played, and I just want to play,” Tirado said.
Tirado claims that upon being escorted from the stage, she spoke with Google’s senior VP of communications, Rachel Whetstone. Whetstone apparently gave Tirado her contact information and said that she’d talk to Halprin directly about the issues at 812 Guerrero.
There are about 40 protesters gathered and, in a nod to the Google’s slogan, they are dressed as good and evil characters from Star Wars. There’s drumming and chanting. Here are some tweets from Leslie in the field:
Protesters from Eviction Free San Francisco & United Service Workers West surrounded the front of the Moscone Building in SF. @MLNow
“There’s a lot of energy here.” – Benito Santiago from Eviction Free SF, drummer at today’s #google demonstration pic.twitter.com/fwsaJVOd8q
“I don’t think people understand what means to be kicked thrown out of your home.” – protester Kate Holum @MLNowpic.twitter.com/ASChycgIL8 — Leslie V Nguyen-Okwu (@lnguyenokwu) June 25, 2014
Residents from 812 Guerrero are present at the event to protest their eviction and draw attention to their conflicted relationship with their landlord, a Google lawyer named Jack Halprin. Read past coverage for details.
“Be a part of our community. We don’t have to change it.” – Claudia Tirado, being evicted by Google lawyer Jack Halprin @MLNow — Leslie V Nguyen-Okwu (@lnguyenokwu) June 25, 2014
Protesters apparently have hacked the conference, and are inside Moscone Center. One woman directly called out Jack Halprin, the landlord at 812 Guerrero. We’ve confirmed that this protester is Claudia Tirado, who we spoke to in April about her conflict with Halprin.
About 1 hour into Google’s developer conference, Google I/O, a woman made her way through the Moscone Center,… http://t.co/pHA1nli1nG — TechKnowledgeIt.com (@TechKnowledgeIt) June 25, 2014
Protestors break into Google I/O http://t.co/MwjNUzTHgT Smack in the middle of Google’s annual developer conference, protestors interr… — C.L. Anderson (@techsavvy68) June 25, 2014
Inside Google I/O people are cheering for Google. Outside Google I/O people are cheering against Google. pic.twitter.com/eV281IgErF — Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) June 25, 2014
Apparently 10 were arrested in a related protest outside Google HQ in Mountain View this morning. TechCrunch has some more details about this group of activists:
A protestor just walked into Google I/O and is yelling at developers and Google execs. Most exciting part of the keynote so far. — Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) June 25, 2014
Just when Google I/O got really boring a protestor arrives to wake everyone up — Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 25, 2014
Daniel Hirsch is a freelance writer who has been living in the Mission since 2009. When he's not contributing to Mission Local, he's writing plays, working as an extra for HBO, and/or walking to the top...
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4 Comments
Did Erin McElroy have one of the masks on? We can only hope. She should dress as superwoman savior of all the downtrodden.
Did Erin McElroy have one of the masks on? We can only hope. She should dress as superwoman savior of all the downtrodden.
All of this is so misdirected….