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Wood Street Residents and Advocates Host Memorial for Those Who’ve Died While Homeless

Published

6 years ago

February 20, 2020

More than a dozen unhoused Oakland residents and housing justice advocates gathered on the afternoon of Feb. 15 just west of Wood and 24th Streets to memorialize unhoused local residents who’ve passed away.

While the memorial specifically focused on two people, Gary Rosenquist and Benjamin Choyce Jr, attendees also honored all local unhoused residents who’ve died recently, many of whom suffered premature death due to homelessness.

“We’re here today to honor the lives of two very important people,” said housing justice activist Dayton Andrews at the memorial. “But I think it’s important to be clear that Gary and Ben were not the only people to die in the last couple of months and they won’t be the last ones to die while homeless. We’re here to honor all those that we didn’t meet as well.”

In addition to Rosenquist and Choyce, at least three other unhoused Oakland residents have died so far in 2020. While Rosenquist lived to be 74, and Choyce was 58, two other residents died in their 40s and one died in his 60s. All five people, all men, died before the average age of death for males living in Alameda county, 79.

“Housing is so important to health that those without a home die decades younger than those with a home,” wrote Seiji Hayashi in a 2016 article for The Atlantic. Hayashi is a graduate of Harvard’s School of Public Health and is currently medical director of Mary’s Center, a community health center in Wash., D.C.

In an interview with The Oakland Post, Rosenquist’s wife, Martha, explained that Gary had been dealing with pneumonia and a broken bone when he passed away and that it was difficult to cope with his medical conditions well while homeless.

“It wouldn’t have been as intense and I think he would have still been alive,” said Martha, when The Oakland Post asked her if having stable housing would have helped Gary. She then emphasized how difficult it is to live in a safe, clean way while homeless and that she and Gary had no regular access to water.

Both Gary and Martha Rosenquist were about two weeks away from moving into a permanent housing complex set aside for veterans called Embark Apartments before Gary’s passing. But now that Gary, who was a veteran, has passed, Embark Apartments has so far prevented Martha from securing housing. She claims they’ve refused to let her sign a lease even though before Gary’s death, they clarified that family members of veterans were also allowed to live in their complex.

Homelessness causes additional burdens on those who wish to care for those who are sick, and also makes mourning more difficult for those who lose loved ones. Benjamin Choyce’s daughter, Ramona, would visit and care for him as he was suffering from cancer but eventually had to stop.

“When he was alive I would leave here, go to East Oakland, be with my Dad, help him and see what he needed” said Ramona during the memorial to the crowd. She then said that her visits stopped after The City of Oakland towed her vehicle that she’d been using both to live in and for transportation in late September, 2019. After that she wasn’t able to visit anymore.

“They took me from my Dad. When he died I wasn’t there,” said Ramona.

Unhoused residents and housing justice advocates set up a garden, which they’ve called “Gary’s Garden,” that will serve as a memorial both to Gary and all unhoused people who suffer from premature death.

As the memorial observance wound down, people watered the garden and spoke fondly of both Gary and Benjamin.

“My father was outgoing and he didn’t judge. He was fun. He loved his music,” Ramona said.

“Gary was always for the underdog. He was always helping someone else. He had a good heart,” said Martha, as a song by Prince played.

Like Benjamin, Gary was also passionate about music. He had owned a nightclub in downtown Oakland from the 1980s to the early ’90s called The Old Warehouse Cabaret that once hosted Prince and The Rolling Stones.

“He put his heart and soul into that place. It was a beautiful nightclub,” said Martha.

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State of Preschool Yearbook Provides an Annual Snapshot of State-Funded Preschool

By National Institute for Early Education Research Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs. “Georgia is proud to be a leader in quality early childhood education as we work to ensure all Georgians have the opportunity to succeed, including our youngest learners,” said Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Having strategically invested in our Pre-K classrooms, we are both meeting all 10 NIEER benchmarks of excellence and giving Georgia students a […]

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April 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By National Institute for Early Education Research

Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs.

“Georgia is proud to be a leader in quality early childhood education as we work to ensure all Georgians have the opportunity to succeed, including our youngest learners,” said Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Having strategically invested in our Pre-K classrooms, we are both meeting all 10 NIEER benchmarks of excellence and giving Georgia students a strong start on the path of lifelong learning.”

Only five additional states meet all 10 of NIEER’s research-based benchmarks for quality —Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island—in this year’s report. None of those programs has the reach of Georgia Pre-K. NIEER’s benchmarks measure essential preschool quality indicators, including teacher qualifications, class sizes, early learning standards, and program assessments.

“Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”

Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-2025. The pace of growth slowed, however, compared to the prior year, and many states continue to lag behind pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

Preschool enrollment increased by 44,000 children nationally, reaching almost 1.8 million, including 37% of U.S. four-year-olds and 9% of three-year-olds. California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri contributed the most to increased enrollment, adding more than 52,000 new seats.

States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-2025. Including federal and local dollars, total spending was almost $17.7 billion. Three states each spent more than $1 billion last year: California ($4.1 billion), New Jersey ($1.2 billion), and New York ($1 billion). Together, these three states account for45% of all state preschool spending. Texas adds almost another $1 billion.

Spending increased by $434 million, or 3%, adjusted for inflation. Twenty-eight states increased preschool funding, including Michigan and New Jersey, which each added more than $100 million.

“Not only does preschool access vary by which state a child happens to live in, but so does the quality of that preschool experience,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report. “Only high-quality early care and education programs support children’s development enough to result in lasting academic and other gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers.”

A record six states met all 10 of NIEER’s recommended quality standards, with Alabama doing so for the 20th consecutive year.

Georgia joined this list this year after improving its teacher-to-child ratio from 1:11 to 1:10 and lowering maximum class sizes to 20. Several states met 9 of 10 benchmarks, including New Mexico, which is working toward universal access for both three- and four-year-olds. Once New Mexico requires all lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, it will be on par with Georgia in terms of both quality and quantity.

Not all states moved forward. Twenty states enrolled fewer preschoolers in 2024-2025 than the prior year, with enrollment dropping by more than 1,000 children in Arizona, Florida, NewYork, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Seventeen states spent less on preschool than the prior year, adjusted for inflation, with Arizona, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas seeing the largest percentage declines.

Additional information about the State of Preschool Yearbook, including individual state profiles and maps, graphs, and state rankings, can be found at www.nieer.org.

The 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook was supported with funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Gates Foundation.

The National Institute for Early Education Research at theRutgers Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy and practice through independent, objective research and the translation of research to policy and practice

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