Woman Wearing Google Glass Says She Was Attacked In San Francisco Bar
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – A Bay Area woman said she was attacked for wearing the Google Glass wearable computer at a bar in San Francisco's Lower Haight.
Tech writer Sarah Slocum wrote on her Facebook page that she was at Molotov's on Haight Street Friday night. Slocum said she was showing someone at the bar how the high-tech glasses work, when two women confronted her. Then, a man ripped the Google Glass off of her face.
"OMG so you'll never believe this but... I got verbally and physically assaulted and robbed last night in the city, had things thrown at me because of some *** Google Glass haters ..." Slocum wrote on her Facebook page.
Slocum also said someone stole her purse and her phone . She said she later recovered the Google Glass along with video on the device that shows the man who ripped the glasses off her face. Her purse and phone are still missing.
Read More:
- Google Glass Victim Defiant: "Never Expected Such Hate And Venom"
- Google Glass Guidelines Tell Users Don't Be 'Creepy Or Rude' Or A 'Glasshole'
- Researcher Developing Facial Recognition Glasses To Help Stop Crime
Several witnesses told KPIX5 that Slocum was very friendly, as were others in the bar who were excited to see the high tech glasses demonstrated.
But then, the witnesses said some people inside the bar got upset about the possibility of being recorded by the glasses. Brian Lester said he watched as a man insulted Slocum, then a man accompanying her retaliated with his fists.
"The crowd was jeering as any last call crowd would do with a fight outside of a bar," Lester said. "She was running around very excited … and people were telling her, 'you're being an *** take those glasses off."
"I think everybody was just upset that she would be recording outside of a bar this late with obvious embarrassing behavior going on," Lester added. "And just rather insulted that someone thinks it's okay to record them the entire time they're in public."
Friends posting on Slocum's Facebook page were extremely sympathetic and supportive. The bartender told KPIX 5 that he was shocked that this sort of thing happened here.
But a man who only gave his first name of "Brian" said he was not surprised.
"You know, the crowd at Molotov's is not a tech-oriented crowd for the most part," said Brian. "It's probably one of the more punk rock bars in the city. So you know, it's not really Google Glass country."
Brian said it did not mean anybody should get physically attacked.
"Of course not ... But a level of tact in that type of establishment might have behooved her," Brian said.
Slocum declined an interview request, but told KPIX 5 by Facebook message that she would tell her story on Tuesday.
