The Raging Grannies called out the high-tech industry at a rally held next to the Googleplex on October 14th. They said any talk of Silicon Valley corporations being green is suspect, especially since both Google and Facebook joined with climate change deniers when they became members of the lobbying group ALEC. Both firms declined to renew membership in the right wing group after public pressure in 2014.

Student leader Kian Martin from Lincoln High School in San Jose spoke from the stage saying that corporate entities must hold themselves accountable by ensuring affordable housing and seeing that local Bay Area residents are not displaced from their own communities. Braulia Flores Delgado from the Service Employees International Union said that unionization is essential and that high-tech companies must respect the unions. Corporate speakers included Mike Mielke of Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Bill Weihl of Facebook who gave their views.

The Google bus is a symbol of Bay Area rent prices and escalating number of evictions triggered by the high pay and perks enjoyed by Silicon Valley tech employees. Busses swarmed the streets pulling in and out of the Google campus as the rally, organized by the Sierra Club, came to an end.

Photos: 1 | 2