"Hit the road Jack," was the sung refrain this morning as protesters once again targeted, and chased, Google lawyer and local landlord Jack Halprin.
At 6:30 a.m. according to reports from Mission Local, tenants from 812 Guerrero blocked Halprin's presumed ride, a Google bus at 18th and Dolores, in protest of their Ellis Act eviction. Currently his tenants are set to be evicted in February.
A chase scene unfolds at today's latest installment of evicted tenants vs. Google Lawyer: http://t.co/CA5bZZ0IRE pic.twitter.com/Mwzwqwg1xH
— Mission Local (@MLNow) December 16, 2014
Halprin has been singled out before, back in April. Then, protesters held critical signs calling Halprin "Google's Evil lawyer," with the Brass Liberation Band performing at the demonstration. This time Halprin was dubbed "The Google Grinch."
Claudia Tirado blocked #googlebus today w/Eviction Free SF so her +her son dont get evicted by exec Jack Halprin pic.twitter.com/lNT687Gvux
— David Zlutnick (@DavidZlutnick) April 11, 2014
Protesters block a #Googlebus at 18th/Dolores. They say a Google atty is evicting residents. pic.twitter.com/wrdjLINopO
— Ellen Huet (@ellenhuet) April 11, 2014
There's been about a year's worth of actions against Halprin, but they've done nothing to dissuade him from the evictions. It remains unclear what his plans are for the building at 812 Guerrero, which currently is divided into seven units.
This morning, as Halprin neared the bus, he heard protestors but chose to approach. He was either smirking or grimacing according to Mission Local, and denied requests for comment by reporters. The group of about 20 protesters gave chase with megaphones as irritated neighbors popped heads out of windows.
“We can’t stay here, but why?” Claudia Tirado, who is one of Halprin’s tenants facing an Ellis Act eviction, said.“You’re not going to get away with this without the whole world knowing.”
“We’re trying to raise awareness,” Chris “Johnny” Sideris, one of Halprin’s tenants, told Mission Local. “What he’s doing is part of a bigger problem, and we want Google to clarify its position with the community.”
When asked for comment, Google gave the following statement to Mission Local which touts their recent donation:
While we don’t comment on employees personal lives, we continue to work hard to be good neighbors in the Bay Area. This December, to cap $20 million in local giving for 2014, we announced $2 million in Google funding to three San Francisco organizations working to help our city’s homeless and newly displaced residents. We’re committed to the community and look forward to doing more in 2015.
The crowd dispersed as four police cruisers arrived.
Halprinprotest from Mission Local on Vimeo.
