Squatters 2
This is a minor league version of Cliven Bundy’s using public lands for free–an “app” that allows persons in public parking places to squat on them while auctioning them to the highest bidder. San Francisco has told them to stop, at least for now.
The company’s weasel-worded dissembling arrogant rationale for holding parking spaces hostage is a gem of self-serving hipster rationalization (emphasis added).
Herrera’s letter was the latest as state and federal lawmakers grapple with new technologies that people can use to privately replace taxis, hotels and even restaurants. Firms in neighboring Silicon Valley often use San Francisco as a testing ground, pushing the boundaries of local authorities who don’t want to quash the booming tech economy.
Herrera also cracked down on two similar smartphone apps that exchange money for parking spaces.
Two weeks ago, Dobrowolny said MonkeyParking doesn’t sell parking spots, but rather convenience, citing freedom of speech. He said people have the right to tell others they’re leaving a parking spot and get paid for it.
This is cyber-theft, or, at best, cyber-kidnapping, holding public property for ransom.
Folks, just because you can do it with computers, that don’t make it right.
July 13, 2014 at 12:41 pm
One cure is analog. You get the parking space after application, you are issued a sticker — locally — which MUST be fixed to the windshield. That gets rid of the tech libertarian jerk programming aggregation “convenience” software to leverage, usurp or steal everything not nailed down because there aren’t enough people to enforce regulation. You’ll have noticed the Google bus phenom has also raised a great deal of populist ire for its usage of the public stops. More from the technology of, cough, furnishing “abundance” and “sharing.” Stealing is right, a perfect way to put it.
July 13, 2014 at 2:37 pm
(I thought of you when I saw the story.)
I’ve seen stories on the Google bus fuss.
It occurs to me as I write this that part of what’s going on is wrapping the privileged tech employees in a cocoon while estranging them from the polity at large.