Police arrested 10 people Tuesday night at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, Tuesday. Sgt. Saul Jaeger of the Mountain View Police Department said the protesters arrived Tuesday afternoon at Google. “They were peaceful,” he said in a phone call with Poynter. “As nighttime came they were warned several times by Google security they were welcome to come back in the morning,” Jaeger said. The police shared that message with the protesters as well, Jaeger said.
The last warning came at 11 p.m. Some left, but “10 of them decided they were going to stay,” Jaeger said. They were all arrested and booked for trespassing into the local jail in San Jose without incident. Google has not yet replied to a request for comment.
The police later sent out this press release:
During the afternoon of Tuesday, June 24, 2014, protestors from Occupy Google (http://occupygoogle.org/) arrived at the Google Campus to protest for Net Neutrality. The group, who numbered about 20 with signs and tables handed out pamphlets and used amplifiers to convey their message.
Per their website, Occupy Google’s goal is to, “…to maintain the Internet as a network that allows all users equal access to speak and be heard. It is through this that the Internet has supported marginalized groups, provided a communications platform for political movements, and fostered innovations in technology and services.”
Google allowed the group to be on the premises throughout the day on Tuesday and was supportive of the group’s right to protest but requested the group pack up for the night, offering them the same spot the following day.
Starting at 9:00pm, the group was given multiple warnings by Google security to leave their private property by 9:30pm. These warnings were later repeated by Mountain View Police Officers. By 11:00pm officers had convinced the group to pack up and leave. As officers were escorting the group off Google property, two protestors choose to sit down and refused to leave. As these two were being arrested, some of the protesters left the area as requested by Google but several individuals remained. Google subsequently signed a Private Person’s Arrests for Trespassing and ultimately ten were arrested without incident.
The subjects were booked into SJ Main Jail.
Related: Police Arrested Several Occupy Google Protesters Outside Google’s HQ (Valleywag) | Net Neutrality Protesters Arrested At Google HQ (TechCrunch)
