On January 10th, demonstrators protested in Menlo Park in front of a $4.1 million Dream House that is being raffled off to benefit the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. They explained their objection to the Dream House model of fundraising saying that arts organizations should receive public funds from taxes paid by corporations instead of a raffle that is essentially "a tax on the people".

Speakers who stood in front of the house said there is a need to restore funding to public institutions like libraries, universities, and the arts so that the reliance on risky dream house style raffles are no longer needed.

Representatives of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Occupy Bay Area United and other social justice groups held the speak-out in front of the mansion to publicize their outrage that nonprofits are used by banks and other corporations for public relations subterfuges. They argued that corporations create the illusion of helping good causes while at the same time using tax loopholes and creating profits on the back of the 99%.

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Occupy Bay Area United | Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment