Mike Zint
Published on Oct 21, 2017
Here is the video from today’s police action. They admit to the cities involvement in this, despite what the city had promised.
An eviction defense is in the works. We are requesting people come out starting Monday night. Bring tents, reclining lawn chairs, blankets, food, and coffee. Please spread the word.
The Poor Tour started with a homeless person dying. During the tour, several others died as well. This action against the homeless comes just as the bad weather is about to start. Coincidence?
Note from JP Massar:
The BART police are about to commit a crime. They are about to evict
some 25 homeless people from homes they have resided in for the last
nine months. For no reason.
(Pictures: https://twitter.com/berkeleyside/status/921918212911988736)
(video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVykTPnBLOE&feature=youtu.be)
This is cruel; this is inhumane; this is despicable. I implore you to stop it.
For nine months a stable, peaceful, law-abiding community of
homeless people has resided at the HERE/THERE space on the west side
of the BART tracks just north of the Oakland/Berkeley border, across
the street from Sweet Adeline bakery. They have had the support of
the neighborhood and have recently obtained, through community
support, the ability to access a porta-potty and a handwashing
station. They have a short list of rules that govern behavior (e.g.,
noise curfew hours, no drugs). Some of them belong to the political
group known as First They Came for the Homeless.
On Saturday afternoon BART police put up notices demanding that they
remove themselves from HERE/THERE area within 72 hours and
threatening to confiscate their possessions.
Evicting some 25 people back onto the streets for no reason is
despicable. Evicting them onto the streets as the rains are about to
come is inhumane and cruel. Evicting them WHEN THERE IS A STATEWIDE
HEPATITIS A OUTBREAK that is centered among homeless people who lack
adequate access to sanitary facilities is a crime. People could
well die as a result of this proposed action.
These people have no place to go. There are no excess shelter beds
in Berkeley. I know you are acutely aware of the extreme housing
shortage in the Bay, and the desperate plight of homeless people as
a result. I know you are leading as BART is takes what steps it can
to build and support the building of affordable housing. How ironic
can it be that now the BART that you oversee will be contributing to
the crisis instead of keeping a community stable? How ironic is it
that as BART you are about to dismantle a community that is able to
help fellow homeless people, providing them with food, shelter and
support, that has reunited runaways with their families, that has
seen some of its community members pull themselves together to get
jobs and obtain permanent housing?
As my BART Board representative (Ms. Saltzman) and as the BART Board
representative whose territory encompasses HERE/THERE (Ms. Simon) I
ask that you each make a public statement against this eviction
action. I ask that you each insist on a moratorium on the eviction
proceedings so that the BART Board can discuss this and on the
grounds of simple humanity. I ask that you enter into discussions
with the City of Berkeley and the residents of HERE/THERE, so that
you can learn about the encampment and understand what a model it is
for a homeless community.
Thank you.
JP Massar
