Demonstrators Gather Outside Facebook to Protest Obama

Several demonstrations are being held in Palo Alto and San Francisco today in response to President Barack Obama's scheduled visits to Facebook headquarters and a fundraiser at the Nob Hill Masonic Center.

More than 100 people gathered outside Palo Alto City Hall at 11 a.m. to call for protecting the nation's social safety net while addressing its budget problems. One of the main groups participating was Sacred Heart Community Service, an organization dedicated to addressing poverty in the Silicon Valley.

Unemployed and low-wage workers discussed how proposed cuts to federal programs would affect them. The demonstrators stood before a large banner created in the image of a Facebook page bearing Obama's photo. It read, "Low-income families need help."

CODEPINK, a grassroots peace and social justice movement, also planned to hold a rally at 11 a.m. in front of Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto to speak out against the Obama administration's foreign policy and war funding, event organizers said.

The town hall meeting will begin at 1:45 p.m. and will stream on the White House's Facebook page. The actual event with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not be open to the public.

Obama will answer questions from the public and discuss his fiscal plan. Last week, he said he would reduce the nation's deficit by a cumulative $4 trillion over 12 years, in part by cutting defense spending, reducing health care costs and eliminating tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.

Questions for the town hall can be submitted up to and during the event at facebook.com/WhiteHouse or WhiteHouse.gov/facebooktownhall.

—Bay City News Service contributed to this story.