The writing is strange and sounds very biased. The repeated reference to a kind young man , for example.
This isn't a news article - it's a post on "East Bay | Global Justice and Anti-Capitalism"
Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
31–40 of 340 posts
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#32The writing is strange and sounds very biased. The repeated reference to a kind young man , for example.
The account was written by a participant.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#33Better article describing 2 more bus incidents from this morning - http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/12/20/eviction-protesters...
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Rent prices and other expenses skyrocketed. And not everyone has option to move out. So yes, it caused powerty.
Zoning laws creating an artificial scarcity of housing has caused the rent prices to skyrocket - already before that the prices were high enough to cause a boom in building lots of living space, if the city (by their voters) would allow it.
I'm not too familiar with the SF housing legal environment, but in some places a lack of new housing is caused by preservation boards that are willing to declare, e.g., chain link fences as historical structures to prevent new development in their areas.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#35The bus remained where it was, the thought of driving to Mountain View with a broken window and flooded with cold air an unthinkable horror they could not endure. Or maybe because it was a crime scene?
I wouldnt take a bus if it got attacked with a brick and had a shattered window.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
It would be much better to have affordable housing for all instead of the wealthy pricing out the ordinary.
In that case they should be smashing windows at City Hall (or not anywhere, preferably). The municipality must be up to its gills in property tax cash and is the only people who can properly manage the response to this skyrocketing demand for housing. This isn't Vancouver or Tokyo or Manhattan, there's room to build more housing and drive down the supply/demand imbalance, and money to be made doing it... but without…
I believe a referendum to allow for some new housing to be built was voted down "because it would drive rents up". Sigh.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#37"driven up the property values and rent prices, creating animosity, evictions, and poverty" I'm sorry but I can't imagine the gentrification has caused poverty. It's probably made it more inconvenient and pushed out people in poverty though.
Rent prices and other expenses skyrocketed. And not everyone has option to move out. So yes, it caused powerty.
Rent adjustments in Oakland are pegged to the CPI except in special cases. So long as you do not move, your rent will remain relatively stable.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#38Technicaly the bus is place of work, so there are interesting implications for Google as employer.
No, the bus is owned by a third party contractor. That does not count as Google's workplace.
And the office could be rented. I think it is clear that Google expect people to check emails and do 'work stuff', it was mentioned several times.
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#39Has this actually happened? I can't find any other news source confirming this. Edit: Yeah, this actually did happen. Picture of the broken window: https://twitter.com/craigsfrost/status/414121201754468352/ph...
Someone tweeting a picture isn't exactly verification. There's no real way to tell if that picture has anything to do with the location or bus in question.
I'd really like to see some more verification - especially after the way the last Google Bus "incident" turned out. (A guy who at first appeared to be an employee trying to shout down the protesters... was actually a guy there to support the protesters, and make an artificial 'scene')
Re: Google Bus blocked, window smashed in West Oakland
#40The writing is strange and sounds very biased. The repeated reference to a kind young man , for example.
This isn't a news article - it's a post on "East Bay | Global Justice and Anti-Capitalism"
Yup.
Would really like to see a real news article - or at least several other sources discussing the incident.