{"id":13418,"date":"2019-11-26T09:29:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=13418"},"modified":"2019-11-26T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T17:30:13","slug":"police-arrest-22-people-take-down-housing-justice-village-outside-oakland-city-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2019\/11\/26\/police-arrest-22-people-take-down-housing-justice-village-outside-oakland-city-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Police arrest 22 people, take down \u2018Housing Justice Village\u2019 outside Oakland City Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Officers arrest activists who hoped to push for policy shift on unhoused<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/author\/dylan-bouscher\/\">DYLAN BOUSCHER<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:dbouscher@bayareanewsgroup.com\">dbouscher@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/author\/george-kelly\/\">GEORGE KELLY<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:gkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com\">gkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/author\/marisa-kendall\/\">MARISA KENDALL<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com\">mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/author\/ali-tadayon\/\">ALI TADAYON<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:atadayon@bayareanewsgroup.com\">atadayon@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>&nbsp;| Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED:&nbsp;November 24, 2019 at 5:19 pm&nbsp;| UPDATED:&nbsp;November 25, 2019 at 4:33 pm (eastbaytimes.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/InBLleAyIfs?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>OAKLAND \u2014 Police and city workers early Monday morning dismantled a \u201cHousing Justice Village\u201d of about two dozen tents that had been set up the night before at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall to protest what organizers said was the mistreatment of the city\u2019s homeless residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around 80 activists showed up Sunday at the makeshift village bearing signs that read, \u201cUpgrade, don\u2019t evict!\u201d \u201cHousing is a human right\u201d and \u201cWhere do we go?\u201d Oakland officials told them throughout the day that camping at the plaza after 10 p.m. would be illegal, according to a news release issued Monday by the city.<a href=\"javascript:void(0)\">&nbsp;&nbsp;TOP ARTICLES1\/5READ MOREDrive-by shooter wounds man in East Oakland<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 10 p.m. Sunday, most of the protesters had left, but 22 refused and were cited for overnight camping in a park and booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, the news release says. Their tents and possessions were taken and stored by the city for them to retrieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 8 a.m. Monday, all tents at the plaza had been removed. Police were gone one and a half hours later and city workers were cleaning the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Activists said Monday the city\u2019s response was excessive and typical of how the homeless get brushed off. They haven\u2019t yet come up with a plan to follow up on Sunday\u2019s protests, the activists said, because they are focusing on raising money to bail out the arrested protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Candice Elder, founder of one of the organizations involved in the protest, East Oakland Collective, said about 60 police officers showed up at the plaza and dragged some people out of their tents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those arrested include activist Anita Miralle, 44, of Oakland \u2014 also known as Needa Bee \u2014 who was booked into Santa Rita Jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elder and the other activists had a list of demands for the city: Stop removing people from curbside encampments, halt market-rate development in Oakland and turn attention toward affordable development, among other conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo we think the city listened?\u201d Elder asked. \u201cNo. Because we don\u2019t think the city cares to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/824034357706833920\/PSk8p8gQ_normal.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\"><strong>The Village, Oakland<\/strong>@VillageOakland<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198684679454355457\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BREAKING: This AM, Oakland unhoused residents created the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HousingJusticeVillage?src=hash\">#HousingJusticeVillage<\/a> at Oscar Grant Plaza. It is a peaceful protest of the harm and trauma caused by the City of Oakland\u2019s treatment of curbside residents. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StopsTheSweeps?src=hash\">#StopsTheSweeps<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WhereDoWeGoOakland?src=hash\">#WhereDoWeGoOakland<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PublicLandForSanctuary?src=hash\">#PublicLandForSanctuary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198684679454355457\/photo\/1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EKKVW68UUAANCGf?format=jpg&amp;name=small\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/like?tweet_id=1198684679454355457\">244<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198684679454355457\">11:27 AM &#8211; Nov 24, 2019<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/support.twitter.com\/articles\/20175256\">Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198684679454355457\">143 people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside and around the tents, activists on Sunday said they planned to stay put to make their point that residents without homes are given short shrift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople will see and hear first-hand that (there) are deep discrepancies between what the mayor and her team claim and what is actually happening in the streets,\u201d Needa Bee said in part of a statement posted to social media. \u201cWe also want to create space to give our folks the opportunity for some healing after all the trauma and brutality they have endured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/824034357706833920\/PSk8p8gQ_normal.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\"><strong>The Village, Oakland<\/strong>@VillageOakland<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198689782903164928\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HousingJusticeVillage?src=hash\">#HousingJusticeVillage<\/a> Press Release<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198689782903164928\/photo\/1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EKKZ_xgVAAY1FOO?format=jpg&amp;name=360x360\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198689782903164928\/photo\/1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EKKZ_xiUcAEJSyr?format=jpg&amp;name=360x360\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/like?tweet_id=1198689782903164928\">6<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\/status\/1198689782903164928\">11:48 AM &#8211; Nov 24, 2019<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/support.twitter.com\/articles\/20175256\">Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VillageOakland\">See The Village, Oakland&#8217;s other Tweets<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sunday, Bee said groups organized the encampment in secret to prevent law enforcement from blocking off the plaza before the tents went up, adding that housed residents have a stake in their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFirst of all, it\u2019s taxpayers\u2019 money. A lot of taxpayers don\u2019t want to see homeless people. They don\u2019t want to be bothered. So if you don\u2019t want to be bothered by us, your money that has been set aside to get us off the streets, should get us off the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pointing to a nearby building under construction, Bee said people \u201cshould care because their money is being misspent. The reality is, we\u2019re living in Oakland in 2019 where s\u2014 like this is going up where, if you\u2019re from the town, you can\u2019t afford that. Everything that has been built in Oakland since 2000 is not for the people from Oakland. It is for people who don\u2019t even live here yet. The jobs are not for us. The housing is not for us. They are building a new Oakland at the expense of the quality of life and human rights and constitutional rights of the people who were born and raised here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kelsey Brenner, 71, said she intended to stay in a plaza tent Sunday as part of the protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t sit by and watch what\u2019s happening: The city is criminalizing homelessness and is not providing enough low-income housing. \u2026 I look around at all these high rises going up \u2026 my own daughter can\u2019t live here because it\u2019s too expensive,\u201d Brenner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey have these Tuff Sheds where people go for six months and then after that they\u2019re back out on the street. Transitional housing? Six months and then back out on the street. And then they\u2019re just hurting these people from these [homeless] camps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Groups involved in setting up and sustaining the encampment included The Village in Oakland, The East Oakland Collective, First They Came For The Homeless, and Homeless Action Group. Another group, Community Ready Corps for Self Determination, performed security training at the protest. Other groups shared donated foods such as coffee, apples, bananas and granola bars with housed and unhoused residents attending the protest or walking by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A little more than eight years ago, activists and organizers inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement set up camps at the plaza and at Snow Park near Lake Merritt. Police raided and dismantled both camps Oct. 25, 2011, leading to multiple protests and marches and a re-establishment of a plaza camp, which police officers dismantled again Nov. 14, 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe housing and homelessness crisis is our community\u2019s priority, and we are all working to create more safe shelter spaces for our unsheltered residents while seeking immediate local, state and federal resources to build more affordable housing,\u201d Justin Berton, a spokesperson for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, said Sunday evening. \u201cOakland supports every resident\u2019s right to peacefully protest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Harry Harris contributed to this report. Contact Dylan Bouscher at 408-920-5088 and George Kelly at 408-859-5180.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officers arrest activists who hoped to push for policy shift on unhoused By&nbsp;DYLAN BOUSCHER&nbsp;|&nbsp;dbouscher@bayareanewsgroup.com,&nbsp;GEORGE KELLY&nbsp;|&nbsp;gkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com,&nbsp;MARISA KENDALL&nbsp;|&nbsp;mkendall@bayareanewsgroup.com&nbsp;and&nbsp;ALI TADAYON&nbsp;|&nbsp;atadayon@bayareanewsgroup.com&nbsp;| Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED:&nbsp;November 24, 2019 at 5:19 pm&nbsp;| UPDATED:&nbsp;November 25, 2019 at 4:33 pm (eastbaytimes.com) OAKLAND \u2014 Police and city workers early Monday morning dismantled a \u201cHousing Justice Village\u201d of about&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2019\/11\/26\/police-arrest-22-people-take-down-housing-justice-village-outside-oakland-city-hall\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13418"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13418"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13420,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13418\/revisions\/13420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}