San Francisco

Demonstrators Take Advantage of Super Bowl Spotlight to Protest

All eyes are on the Bay Area with Super Bowl Sunday just under a week away from kick off.

Groups of people who want to get their point across are taking advantage of the world stage during Super Bowl week.

On Monday, Uber drivers deliberately snarled traffic to protest pay cuts.

"This will wake them up," said Richard, an Uber driver. "It's like David and Goliath. They think we don't have a chance because they have all the money."

Uber is partnering with the Super Bowl Host Committee. Uber views it as a time to showcase a growing company, but it also has given disgruntled drivers a platform to show the world why they are angry.

"It's important to get the message out now because we're fed up," said Grace Gonzales, a former Uber driver. "They are constantly lowering our fairs and we can't survive."

Uber General Manager Wayne Ting said the company has 40,000 driver partners throughout the Bay Area.

"Our message to them is we realize  price cuts are difficult," Ting said.

While Uber drivers attempted to snarl traffic during Monday's evening commute, the Justice for Mario Woods Coalition welcomed the National Football League to San Francisco on Saturday.

Police reform, not Super Bowl mania, took center stage during the protest.

San Francisco police said people have the right to protest, but only in a peaceful manner.

"If you're going to cause problems, block traffic or break the law, we have plans in place to assess that in case-by-case basis," San Francisco Police Officer Carlos Manfredi said.

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