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The tech industry has decried Trump's controversial travel ban and other immigration policies. (Photo: Ted Eytan/flickr/cc)
Tech Workers Celebrate Pi Day With Protests Against Trump
'Tech has the duty to stand up and be a leader for progress, especially when there is a lack of leadership in Washington'
Mar 14, 2017
Tech workers are planning to mark the celebration of Pi Day--March 14, or 3/14--by protesting President Donald Trump, with demonstrations scheduled throughout the country on Tuesday.
Tech Stands Up, an activist group of industry workers, is organizing protests in Silicon Valley, the California epicenter of the technology sector, as well as Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, according the group's Facebook page.
"We believe in creating a space that respects, empowers and includes all. We believe in standing up for the fundamental rights of all communities and persons. We believe in standing up for something, not simply against it," the organizers write.
In a post on Medium published Saturday, organizers Brad Taylor and Mckenzie Lock wrote, "With great power, comes great responsibility. With its talents and resources, tech has the duty to stand up and be a leader for progress, especially when there is a lack of leadership in Washington."
"We have been forced to confront some uncomfortable truths head on: that while technological advancement has improved lives, it has also disrupted livelihoods," they write. "[T]hat economic and social progress is not only the responsibility of those in Washington but of everyone, especially those with the ability to affect them."
Close to 2,000 people have registered to attend the rally in Palo Alto, which will include speakers and information tables for nonprofit organizations, the group said.
The tech industry has decried Trump's controversial travel ban and other immigration policies. Almost 100 companies, including Google, Apple, and Facebook, were among those who filed legal briefs in February challenging the now-suspended executive order that banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
"The order makes it more difficult and expensive for U.S. companies to recruit, hire, and retain some of the world's best employees," the brief stated. "It disrupts ongoing business operations. And it threatens companies' ability to attract talent, business, and investment to the United States."
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Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Tech workers are planning to mark the celebration of Pi Day--March 14, or 3/14--by protesting President Donald Trump, with demonstrations scheduled throughout the country on Tuesday.
Tech Stands Up, an activist group of industry workers, is organizing protests in Silicon Valley, the California epicenter of the technology sector, as well as Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, according the group's Facebook page.
"We believe in creating a space that respects, empowers and includes all. We believe in standing up for the fundamental rights of all communities and persons. We believe in standing up for something, not simply against it," the organizers write.
In a post on Medium published Saturday, organizers Brad Taylor and Mckenzie Lock wrote, "With great power, comes great responsibility. With its talents and resources, tech has the duty to stand up and be a leader for progress, especially when there is a lack of leadership in Washington."
"We have been forced to confront some uncomfortable truths head on: that while technological advancement has improved lives, it has also disrupted livelihoods," they write. "[T]hat economic and social progress is not only the responsibility of those in Washington but of everyone, especially those with the ability to affect them."
Close to 2,000 people have registered to attend the rally in Palo Alto, which will include speakers and information tables for nonprofit organizations, the group said.
The tech industry has decried Trump's controversial travel ban and other immigration policies. Almost 100 companies, including Google, Apple, and Facebook, were among those who filed legal briefs in February challenging the now-suspended executive order that banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
"The order makes it more difficult and expensive for U.S. companies to recruit, hire, and retain some of the world's best employees," the brief stated. "It disrupts ongoing business operations. And it threatens companies' ability to attract talent, business, and investment to the United States."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Tech workers are planning to mark the celebration of Pi Day--March 14, or 3/14--by protesting President Donald Trump, with demonstrations scheduled throughout the country on Tuesday.
Tech Stands Up, an activist group of industry workers, is organizing protests in Silicon Valley, the California epicenter of the technology sector, as well as Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, according the group's Facebook page.
"We believe in creating a space that respects, empowers and includes all. We believe in standing up for the fundamental rights of all communities and persons. We believe in standing up for something, not simply against it," the organizers write.
In a post on Medium published Saturday, organizers Brad Taylor and Mckenzie Lock wrote, "With great power, comes great responsibility. With its talents and resources, tech has the duty to stand up and be a leader for progress, especially when there is a lack of leadership in Washington."
"We have been forced to confront some uncomfortable truths head on: that while technological advancement has improved lives, it has also disrupted livelihoods," they write. "[T]hat economic and social progress is not only the responsibility of those in Washington but of everyone, especially those with the ability to affect them."
Close to 2,000 people have registered to attend the rally in Palo Alto, which will include speakers and information tables for nonprofit organizations, the group said.
The tech industry has decried Trump's controversial travel ban and other immigration policies. Almost 100 companies, including Google, Apple, and Facebook, were among those who filed legal briefs in February challenging the now-suspended executive order that banned travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
"The order makes it more difficult and expensive for U.S. companies to recruit, hire, and retain some of the world's best employees," the brief stated. "It disrupts ongoing business operations. And it threatens companies' ability to attract talent, business, and investment to the United States."
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