Activism

Advocates for Unhoused Residents Protest Eviction Lawyer

Published

4 years ago

January 30, 2020

Dayton Andrews (standing, forth from left) and other advocates for unhoused Oakland residents protest outside of The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz in Oakland on Jan 27. Photo by Zack Haber.

A small group of advocates for unhoused residents gathered outside of The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz on Monday Jan. 27 to protest the firm’s agreement to represent Game Changer LLC in their effort to evict nine unhoused Oakland residents from land the company has owned but left unused for years.

In advance of the protest, Alan J Horwitz wrote an email to the advocates and taped a copy to the door of his offices, at 501 3rd Street in Oakland.

“When you appear at my office later this afternoon,” reads Horwitz’s email, “I am sorry to say that no one will be present. I have instructed my office to go home because it is not fair for them to suffer through a hostile attack by a misguided mob.”

Although Horwitz and his staff had already left their offices, protesters still gathered around 3 p.m. to hold signs, chant, and talk with media. Before ending the protest around 5 p.m., they taped some of their signs to the doors of Horwitz’s offices, matching his gesture.

“The heart of the West Oakland Wood Street community is a private lot that’s owned by Game Changer LLC,” said Dayton Andrews, an advocate who works with unhoused residents who live on or near Wood Street in West Oakland. “They’ve been trying to push the community out so they can ultimately develop it.”

Some Oakland residents have lived along Wood St. between West Grand Ave and 26th St. in West Oakland for about eight years. Sitting about as far west into West Oakland as you can get, many of its residents have found it’s offered decreased conflicts from neighbors and police than other sites. Some residents claim police directed them to the site from other areas of town. As time passed and space on the street filled up, residents began to move onto tracts of land just west of Wood St owned by Game Changer LLC and Caltrans.

By the time the City of Oakland moved to clear the tracts of land on Nov. 5 and 6 2019, at least a hundred vehicles were on site, some abandoned, as well as dozens of people who lived in tents and self-made structures. Many then moved onto Wood St. The city has laid out plans to lease Game Changer’s land for one dollar a year for 18 months and possibly three years in order to make a city-run safe parking site for residents that live in vehicles. But residents and advocates claim such a site would only be temporary, and would be unavailable to residents who don’t live in vehicles.

At least nine residents stayed on Game Changer’s tract of land, defying the city-run clearance, with the support of over three dozen protestors. Game Changer has hired Horwitz’s firm to remove the remaining residents.

“Your protest is, quite honestly, perplexing,” wrote Horwitz in his email to the protestors. “It appears that the city and my client are attempting to deliver exactly what you are demanding: a safe place for those without housing to park their vehicles and be provided with basic human needs, like potable water, garbage removal and sanitation.”

The proposed safe parking site wouldn’t be available to those who live on the site but don’t live in a vehicle.

The Oakland Post emailed Horwitz and asked if there was a plan for residents that don’t live in vehicles, but he didn’t respond. Since other city-run safe parking sites limit stays to six months, some advocates and residents worry the Wood St. residents will soon have no safe place to go.

“What people are asking for is exits out of homelessness…not just temporary reprieves from being on the street,” said Dayton Andrews. “So in lieu of that folks would also like to remain in place with expanded services. Those are the two things people are demanding and that’s not what we’re getting.”

Zack Haber

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Related Topics:The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz 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

5 days 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

6 days 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.”

Oakland Post

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Activism

WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

1 week 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.