Bay Area

Evicted Unhoused Residents Wonder ‘Where Do We Go?’

Published

7 years ago

October 17, 2019

Following Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration’s orders, Oakland Department of Public Works workers dispose of and destroy homeless people’s possessions — that they didn’t have the time or space to transport — at Union Point on Aug 20 during an eviction. The Oakland Post reconnected with some of the Union Point displaced residents and found them in less stable and more dangerous living situations after the eviction. Photo by Zack Haber.

The Oakland Post connected with displaced, unhoused residents in the wake of city- sanctioned closures of homeless encampments and found many have moved into less stable and safe arrangements.

“It’s just a problem no matter where we move or go [or] how discreet we try to be,” said Nicole Kahele, who grew up in Oakland and lives in an RV with her husband, Elijah Marra.

The City of Oakland evicted Kahele and Marra from a parking lot at Union Point on August 20. The bayside lot had provided space for more than 20 people. Its former residents claim the space helped them to look out for each other.

Since the eviction, Kehele and Marra say they have moved four times and police forced them to move two of those times. Kehele reports that they’ve lost 80 percent of their possessions from these moves because they’ve had limited time to pack. Marra lost tools for fixing bikes, which had provided him a source of income. They also lost a blanket that Kelehe had kept since her stay in the hospital when their son died in childbirth.

Kehele and Marra have rarely left their RV unoccupied since their move because they fear losing more possessions. Kehele says she has interest in staying in a city-sanctioned RV park but doesn’t know if there’s a way to apply since she and Marra rarely go out together. When the first, safe parking RV lot opened in the summer of 2019, Mayor Schaaf claimed it was invitation-only.

“Just knowing that my neighbor would watch my trailer,” said Trevor Vee, who also got evicted from Union Point on August 20. “It gave me a sense of security to be able to go out…and look for a job.”

Vee has moved five times since August 20. When he lived at Union Point, he could get temporary work because he was able to safely leave his trailer. While on the street and away from the encampment, he has been unable to work. When The Oakland Post interviewed him in early October, he was staying temporarily in a friend’s yard, which offered him some stability and work.

“When you have no source of income, it’s kind of hard to feed yourself and I was losing weight at a rapid pace,” said Vee. “Now that I’m on the yard I’ve got a sense of peace again and my weight’s starting to go back up.”

When The Oakland Post interviewed Vee in mid-October, his temporary stay with his friend was ending and he was moving out onto the street again.

The Oakland Post visited the Raimondi Park area in West Oakland after more than two dozen unhoused residents were evicted on Sept. 24, 2019, and heard that Tommy Alexander-Ayala, who’d lived near the park, was staying in a city-sanctioned RV park.

More than five tents have been moved from one side of the street that borders the park to the other side. Some residents have simply moved across the street but no longer have toilets or roadblocks to keep them safe from traffic as the city has removed them.

In nearby Berkeley, some homeless residents and their supporters are questioning the process of forcing homeless people to leave an area without giving them a safe alternative.

Under the slogan @WhereDoWeGoBerk, they successfully resisted an eviction that CalTrans had planned on Oct. 10 when more than two dozen unhoused residents refused to move from an encampment on University Avenue and the I-80 underpass. Housed residents pitched tents and also refused to move in solidarity.

“There’s nowhere they can be,” said Andrea Henson, an activist who pitched a tent at the encampment and helped to organize resistance to their eviction. Laws making staying on the sidewalk illegal in Berkeley have left its homeless population unsure of where they can legally go after an eviction.

“I’m not going to let my friend lose all his stuff while he’s at work,” said Henson to police in a video posted to Twitter where she protected the possessions of an unhoused resident who had to be at work during the attempted eviction.

Zack Haber

Posts by Zack Haber

Related Topics:City of Oakland eviction Libby Schaaf Oakland Homeless Union Point Zack Haber

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Bay Area

IN MEMORIAM: Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73

Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73 Caption: Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo. Special to The Post Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love i

Published

11 hours ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love in the comfort of her home. To her children, she was royalty, grace, strength, and unconditional love embodied.

Debra Diane Edgar was born on May 28, 1952, in San Francisco, California, to Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar. She was raised alongside her younger brother, Charles Edgar Jr., affectionately known as “Little Brother” or “Lil Bruh.” She also shared close bonds with her older siblings Carol Edgar-Lang, Maryann Edgar Calloway, and Lonnie Lewis Sr.

A proud product of San Francisco’s historic Fillmore District, Debra attended Andrew Jackson Elementary School, where she met her lifelong best friend and adopted sister, Lynn Green, in the fifth grade. She later attended Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High School and Thomas Jefferson High School.

Debra’s mother transitioned when she was only 17 years old, and her father transitioned when she was 23. Despite these profound losses, Debra remained grounded through the love and support of extended family and lifelong family friends,

In 1971, she married Harold King. On Sept. 24, 1972, they welcomed their first son, Dajuan Artese King, affectionately called “Pop” or “Poppa.” On Aug. 5, 1976, they welcomed their second son, Dante Dupree King, affectionately called “Tay” or “Taboocoo the Baby.”

After her divorce in 1982, Debra assumed full responsibility for raising her sons.

She supported Dajuan’s passion for football by purchasing sports equipment and attending games faithfully. She supported Dante’s love of music by enrolling him in the San Francisco Boys Choir, Oakland Boys Choir, and the Castlemont Castleers.

Professionally, Debra built an exceptional career. She worked at Blue Shield of California from 1973 until 1994, earning multiple promotions.

She later joined the Oakland Unified School District, initially in a temporary role before being promoted into management within the Labor Relations Department. She retired from OUSD in 2015 after years of distinguished service. During her years at OUSD, she built meaningful friendships with her colleagues.

Faith was central to Debra’s life. During the 1980s, following personal hardship, she joined Love Center Church under the leadership of Bishop Walter Hawkins, where she brought her children regularly. She later became a member of Triumphant: A Church Without Walls Ministries under Pastor Dr. Larry Short, who became a beloved spiritual mentor.

After Triumphant closed in 1992, Debra joined Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Oakland under the leadership of Pastor Larry Ashley, where she remained for the rest of her life.

At Cosmopolitan, she worked in numerous ministries. She served on the usher board, sang in the choir, participated in the AIDS ministry during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, helped feed and support unhoused community members, and mentored and supported a group of young girls.

After retirement, she cared for older adults in her church community, driving them to appointments, cleaning their homes, managing finances, preparing meals, and helping families navigate funeral arrangements after loved ones transitioned.

Even while battling Stage 4 cancer herself, she continued caring for others.

Debra was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar; her brothers, Lonnie Lewis Sr. and Charles Edgar Jr.; her sisters, Maryann Edgar Calloway and Victoria Stephenson Knight; and her adopted mother, Clara Oliver.

She leaves to cherish her memory her beloved sons, Dajuan King and Dante King; grandson, Tiyler Dajuan Artese King; sister, Carol Edgar-Lang; goddaughters Monique Belle and Ricketa Matthews Jones (Leonard); daughter-in-love Quiona Sullivan; son-in-love Marcel Walker; sister-in-law Delores Lewis; adopted sisters and lifelong friends Lynn Green, Barbara Stephenson Hill, and Sarah Fine; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, extended family members, her church family and dear friends.