Tech Shuttle Bus Protests Spread to Seattle

[mrengine]

This week, the anti-gentrification act of blocking a private shuttle full of high-paid tech workers spread to Seattle, where a handful of buses carrying Microsoft employees were stopped by demonstrators. The protest was chronicled by local Tweeps and community websites.

The demonstrators passed out a flyer suggesting that tech-workers moving to the city — and commuting elsewhere — were infusing Seattle with their bland, one-dimensional lifestyle and “sucking out what’s left of Seattle’s soul.” The flier blamed tech workers for putting a pinch on housing and driving up housing costs.

Source: [blog.sfgate.com...]

[martinibuster]

It's true. Techbros negatively change the character of a city.

San Francisco used to be known for their music scene, with lots of great acts making their home in the Bay Area. After the dotcommers invaded the bands left and something I'd never seen happened: An increase in tribute bands, seemingly everywhere. That's just one example. There are many others. The result really is a bland cultural effect.

Another side effect is the habit of keeping business inside the companies, like food courts and whatnot. Which means that the surrounding neighborhood restaurants do not benefit from the workers who tend to stay inside their hives. This is an outdated practice that was necessary in Silicon Valley because restaurants did not exist in the office parks where Google and Yahoo built their original headquarters, formerly fruit orchards. But the practice continues even though they're in the heart of manhattan, san francisco and seattle.

[bill]

Interesting. I haven't lived in those areas so I always wonder why these shuttle buses are such a target of community ill will. I would have thought that communities where upwardly mobile professionals live would benefit in some ways taht would offset the raising of rents.

[creeking]

it's a very efficient way to protest and make news.

compare it to the occupy whatever commitment - days, weeks, camping, bunch of people, problems with food/water/sanitation/trash/weather , etc.

blocking a bus is simple by comparison. it takes a half hour of protestor time, a dozen protestors, and flashmob style coordination.

if the protestors do it early enough in the day (morning commuter pickup time), it might not even interfere with the protestors' day jobs. ;)