Activism

Mayor and City Staff Plan to Destroy Self-Made Homes, Advocates Raise Funds to Provide Tents

Published

5 years ago

September 5, 2019

A man who asked not to be identified and lives beneath the BART tracks between 81st and 85th Avenues in East Oakland begins to dismantle his self-made small home. The city plans to destroy all remaining homes in the area on Sept 11. Photo by Zack Haber.

On Sept 11, the Oakland Public Works Department plans to destroy about 20 small homes that residents who can’t afford sanctioned housing have built and currently live in.

“It’s gonna be terrible,” said Manuel Cruz, an Oakland resident of 30 years who’s lived in his small home with his wife, Gail, for about a year and a half. “Our homes give us protection, shelter, and help to keep us away from the wind and the rats.”

The residents won’t have to move and will be allowed to stay in tents. But they claim living in tents will be more dangerous and less comfortable for them. Many of their current homes have locks and some residents expressed concern that if they’re forced to live in tents, it will be impossible to secure their belongings from theft. They’ll have to stay near their belongings all the time or risk losing them.

City workers had originally planned on demolishing the homes, which sit beneath the BART tracks between 81st and 85th Avenues, on Aug 26, but after advocates for the small home residents called and wrote letters expressing anger and dismay, the city administration agreed to delay the destruction for two weeks.

The city administration and representatives for Mayor Libby Schaaf claim the homes are fire code violations. They’re especially concerned that since the homes sit directly beneath the BART tracks, a fire could also harm those that use the transportation system.

“The location adds significantly to safety concerns for the homeless and for the BART system riders,” said Assistant City Administrator Joe DeVries.

Jeffrey Burris, who grew up in the Bay Area and has lived along 81st and 85th Avenues for about six months, agrees that the homes he and others live in are unsafe, but thinks living in a tent would be even more dangerous.

“A tent will burn faster than wood,” he said. “I’ve seen that first hand.”

DeVries disagrees and thinks tents are a safer option.

“These structures are full-on fire fuel,” said DeVries, “wooden pallets and plywood…burn at high temperatures for long periods of time.”

He also pointed out that since the homes aren’t built to code with any fire-resistant sheet rock, it would be easy to get trapped inside during a fire while it’s relatively easy to escape from a tent that’s aflame.

The small home residents have additional safety concerns outside of fire and theft. They’ve experienced or witnessed several violent attacks from those who live outside of the area. Some worry that living in a tent would make them a more easy target.

Candice Elder, the founder and director of The East Oakland Collective, is aware of the danger the homes pose but also thinks they don’t need to be destroyed. She tried to work with the city to find a safer location for the homes and to transport them there.

“The city was definitely dead set on destroying the homes,” said Elder. “There was no budging or negotiating with the city about that.”

Justin Berton, the Director of Communications for Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration, says the city is hopeful that the residents will dismantle their own homes but has confirmed there will be no further extensions and that the City plans to remove any remaining self-made homes on Sept 11.

Elder described the two-week delay as a “hard compromise,” but thinks it will help the residents of the small homes as it’s allowed her time to set up a gofundme fundraiser that plans to provide large, flame retardant tents, heavy tarps, as well as moving, packing and fire safety supplies and devices.

“The fundraiser is going well but we do need more supporters,” she said. “We are up against a deadline.”

Readers can donate online by visiting gofundme.com/f/eastoaklandtentdrive.

Zack Haber

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

11 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

22 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”

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WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.