Tenant Being Evicted by Google Lawyer Hands Out 'Eviction Protection' @ Folsom Street Fair

Claudia Tirado, a third grade teacher and tenant being evicted by Google's head of eDiscovery, Jack Halprin, queered her fight to remain in her home at the Folsom Street Fair this past Sunday. With other activists from Eviction Free San Francisco, Tirado handed out condoms for "eviction protection" at the annual kink and sex-positive SoMa fair. Hundreds of condoms were disseminated with a picture of Halprin on them, warning fair visitors that an evictor was in their midst. Chanters sang, "Sex Positive, Eviction Negative," while others held posters and drummed.

Halprin bought the 7-unit 812 Guerrero in 2012, and then illegally Owner-Move-In evicted one tenant, Susan, only days after her sister passed away. She filed a lawsuit against him, and won. In retaliation, he then proceeded to issue Ellis Act eviction notices to the other tenants in four other units in the building, including the unit that Claudia and her three-year-old son Valentino reside.

Halprin is active in the Power House and the leather community, and was part of the Power House during the 2014 Pride Parade. Eviction Free SF has been demanding that Google pressure Halprin to rescind the eviction, utilizing tactics from bus blockades to demonstrations in Mountain View. During the Folsom Street Fair, the group implored members of the leather community to also pressure Halprin into withdrawing the eviction, immediately. Members of Eviction Free SF received nothing but warm support from fair attendees, many of whom were quick to agree that housing is a queer issue, and that it is unconscionable for Halprin to evict the residents of 812 Guerrero so that he can have a private mansion, just three blocks from the local Google Bus stop at 18th and Dolores.

After Tirado disrupted Google's I/O Developer conference in May, one of Google's VP's promised to intervene and help Tirado and other tenants at 812 Guerrero. Since then, the VP has reneged her promise. Anti-eviction protestors will continue to pressure Google and Jack to withdraw the eviction, with increased help and support from the leather community.