Activism

City Begins Wood Street Homeless Encampment Clearance and Faces Protest

Published

4 years ago

November 7, 2019

On Nov. 5 and 6, the City of Oakland began a clearance operation of a homeless encampment on a privately owned tract of land west of Wood St in West Oakland and were met with local residents who protested against displacing homeless people.

“I’ve developed relationships with people that live there and I understand that their situation is precarious,” said local resident Dale Smith, who protested on Nov. 6. “I don’t think the solution the city is putting forth is going to work.”

The city plans to eventually clear the lot, which runs about quarter mile from north to south. Oakland residents have lived there for over five years in vehicles, tents and self-made structures. No one knows exactly how many people live on the site, but most residents claim there are over 100. The lot has become more crowded recently as residents have been evicted from other areas of the city. Some residents claim that police officers directed them to the site.

“The city has been reviewing the idea of converting this privately owned lot to a safe RV parking area that would serve West Oakland RV dwellers,” said assistant city administrator Joe DeVries, “but the owner would need to clean it thoroughly first.”

The land is owned by a corporation called GameChanger LLC, but the city hasn’t stated who the individual owner is. The East Bay Times has reported that GameChanger LLC’s owner agreed to lease the land to the city for the next two to three years free of charge. As the city’s stated goal for Nov. 5 and 6 was to clear all vehicles from the site, GameChanger also agreed to pay the estimated quarter million dollar towing bill to the city.

The city’s communication director, Karen Boyd, claims OPD identified 139 vehicles that needed to be towed. Although the majority of the vehicles were abandoned, many of the lot’s RVs, vans, and buses serve as homes for people who are unable to afford housing in Oakland.

Past Oakland homeless clearances and evictions have resulted in people losing their vehicle-homes to impound lots. The poorest of the poor were especially vulnerable to these losses, as vehicle-homes that no longer ran were most likely to be impounded. Since many of the lot’s residents had been evicted before and lost their vehicle-homes, they, and the protestors supporting them feared they would lose them again.

On Nov. 5, over 35 housed protestors joined their unhoused neighbors, held signs and chanted “shame” and “quit your jobs” as police officers walked through the lot, directing people out of the way so tow operators could tow vehicles. Some of the signs read “Don’t tow our homes,” “Stop the evictions,” and “Ayuda no destruye,” which means “help don’t destroy” in Spanish.

After word spread that during the present clearance vehicles that served as people’s homes would be towed off the lot and unto Wood Street, as opposed to impound lots, the number of protestors dwindled, though homeless people and their housed supporters were still unhappy with the move. Around a dozen protestors showed up on Nov. 6.

Natasha Noel, a lifelong Oakland resident who was evicted from her home of 17 years, sits in front of her RV with a sign rested on it that says “I live here. this is my home.” Photo by Zack Haber

“It’s more of a safety zone in here and out on streets it’s more public,” said Jennifer ‘Harley’ Boslar, who was forced to move from the lot, “I feel like accidents can happen. A car could run into your RV. A semi-truck could run into your RV. People can get easier access to your RV than they can behind the fence.”

Wood Street, where many of the vehicles were moved, is a major route for big rig trucks. The Wood Street lot sits behind a fence with two small entrances, so residents have an easier time monitoring who approaches their vehicle-homes.

As of the night of Nov. 6, 15 vehicle-homes remain on the site. Police were unclear about when the remaining vehicles would be moved as the clearance was only originally planned to be a two day operation.

Natasha Noel, who grew up in Oakland and was recently evicted from her home of 17 years, still lives in an RV on the site and wants to stay there.

“I don’t feel like [moving] is a safe option at all,” said Noel. “On the street we’re likely to be towed at any second.”

Zack Haber

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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

Published

8 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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Activism

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

20 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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Activism

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.