A real protest, a fake Google employee, a viral video and some shiny buses have brought attention to the growing tensions between San Francisco's moneyed tech-sector workers and the city's working poor and middle class. Private bus lines snake through San Francisco, transporting employees in climate-controlled, Wi-Fi-enabled, cushioned comfort to their jobs at large Silicon Valley companies. Offered as a free employee perk by Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo and other companies, the large buses have become a symbol of income inequality here and a lightning rod for resentment. On Monday, organizers staged a protest at a Google bus stop in San Francisco with signs that read "Warning: Two-Tier System" and "Public $$$$, Private Gains." A video taken at the scene showed a confrontation between what seemed to be a protester and a Google employee who yelled, "Why don't you go to a city that can afford it? This is a city for the right people who can afford it."
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A staged protest of private buses brings attention to income inequality
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Many Bay Area tech companies offer private bus rides to employees as a perk
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Critics says the buses block traffic and deprive public transportation of income
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Well-paid tech workers have also contributed to the soaring cost of living in San Francisco
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They worry that without its communities of artists, activists and immigrants, @placeholder's unique character and history will be paved over for new condos with perks like dog-washing areas and music rehearsal rooms.
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@placeholder's potential for growth is stunted by bodies of water on three sides.
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But their outbursts are the sort of attitude @placeholder would prefer not to be associated with.