"Jackson Brody was combing Craigslist for work when he stumbled across an ad for a paid gig in the East Bay. Pocket $250 for one evening close to home? Seemed almost too good to be true.
Hours after replying to the ad, the 27-year-old got a late-night callback. The guy on the other end of the line was vague: He was looking for people concerned about the cost of living in Concord to attend an upcoming City Council meeting to advocate for “a thoughtful approach” to rent control.
As a renter in Concord, Brody thought it sounded reasonable. So he signed on.
When he showed up the afternoon of March 25 to a park near Concord City Hall, he started to get the sense that something more cynical was afoot."
