Protesters Plan To Block Google, Apple & Facebook Shuttle Buses In Oakland Friday
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Demonstrators plan to block tech shuttle buses leaving Oakland as part of a series of Bay Area protests planned for International Workers' Day on May 1.
The symbolic move is intended to show disdain over the growing income disparity in Oakland which critics largely blame on the tech industry in Silicon Valley.
According to an event listing on IndyBay.org:
The rich have begun colonizing North Oakland, West Oakland, and Downtown. Their tech buses, their pricey cafes, and their luxury apartments have begun to appear with alarming frequency. This May Day, we will deliver a simple message to these colonizers during their morning commute.
Event organizers are calling for "everyone affected by gentrification" to converge in front of Apple, Google and Facebook buses at the MacArthur BART station from 7:30-9:30 a.m. on Friday, May 1.
"Prepare words or speeches to deliver to these colonizers," the event posting says. "Tell them what you have been thinking, what you have been seeing, what you have been feeling."
MAY DAY EVENTS: List Of Bay Area Protests Planned Friday, May 1
Protesters will also be meeting in the platforms of the MacArthur BART station and in front of the BART gates on Friday.
Last fall, protesters blocked several buses in San Francisco's Mission District during day one of an 18-month pilot program designed to incorporate tech shuttles into the city's mass transit commute.
There are also plans to shut down the Port of Oakland on Friday morning.
