Group rallies in Strip District in opposition to Uber

PITTSBURGH — Two days after Uber CEO Travis Kalanick quit President Donald Trump's council of business leaders, a group gathered Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in protest of the ride-sharing company.

Kalanick said he spoke with Trump on Thursday about not being able to participate on the council, writing to his employees that “Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.”

RELATED: Uber chief quits Trump business council amid boycott calls

While Saturday’s protest celebrated Kalanick’s departure from the council amid calls to boycott Uber, it also called on Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto to reject the service in the city.

The protesters want Peduto to “evaluate other on-demand transportation options,” claiming Uber “has fought any attempt to hold it to account to basic standards of safety and liability regulations, labor rights, environmental sustainability, data transparency, and compliance with civil rights laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act,” according to a release.

About two dozen people participated in the protest.

“Pittsburgh stands in solidarity with Muslims, immigrants, and our sisters and brothers in the labor movement. Any corporation that collaborates with Trump and his harmful policies should be held responsible,” Christina Castillo, of the Thomas Merton Center, said in a statement.

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