Ask a loyal Trump supporter what they think of the demonstrations taking place against the president and you’re apt to hear this refrain: They’re getting paid.
Liberals tend to laugh reflexively at the idea that protesters are compensated, but in some of the state’s most liberal enclaves, it’s not so far from the truth.
CalWatchdog reports:
While many conservative claims about paid protesters demonstrating against President Trump have been met with skepticism and dismissal — in the Bay Area — some of them might actually be getting money for being there.
Companies in the region are increasingly offering their employees paid time off to participate in protests, marches and other demonstrations as part of civic engagement policies.
San Francisco ad firm Traction is giving its employees two paid days for civic action a year. People who work for Facebook were also given time off to participate in the May Day immigration protests.
Tech company Buoyant is offering similar benefits.
“It’s a recognition of the fact that civic engagement is something that we should be doing not just as individuals but as a company,” its CEO William Morgan recently told CS Monitor. “I wanted to make it more clear that we could not be passive citizens in this world.”
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