Darth Vader to Google: “Don’t Be Evil. Be a Force for Good.”

Just like Darth Vader had to choose between the dark side and doing good, security officer Charles Wilson says that Google is at a crossroads. “Right now, security officers like me can’t afford to buy a lot of the products produced by the tech companies we protect.”

Wilson was part of a coalition of security officers, other union members, and housing and community activists that went to Google’s I/O Conference for software developers, to remind the company that it’s not living up to its corporate mantra of “Don’t Be Evil.” Activists urged the tech titan to stop turning a blind eye to the economic imbalance that’s impacting people in their communities.

While Google and other tech companies continue to post record profits, the cost of basic needs for a family of four in Silicon Valley rose by nearly 20 percent between 2008 and 2012. Meanwhile, during the same time period, average worker wages in Silicon Valley dropped by 3 percent, leaving many service workers to scrape by in a land of plenty.

What can Google do? An obvious first step would be to heed security officers’ call to use a responsible security contractor, rather than Security Industry Specialists (SIS). SIS’ record of alleged wage theft, illegal surveillance, harassment and intimidation keeps workers from providing a better life for their families.

Let’s hope Google follows Darth Vader’s lead and–spoiler alert!–chooses good in the end.

Read, watch, or scroll through coverage and pictures of the Star Wars-clad coalition.