Oakland passes ‘catastrophic’ new encampment policy
By Alastair Boone on After a heated ten hour Council meeting and widespread protest, the Oakland City Council unanimously passed a new Encampment Management Policy (EMP) on October 20.
Month: November 2020
The political history of Oakland’s new Encampment Management Policy
By Jamie Omar Yassin on A brief history of the controversial policy that Oakland councilmembers passed on October 20.
How the climate emergency exacerbates homelessness
The increasing influx of natural disasters is more than a warning of the impending climate crisis. Homeless people will suffer first.
Olantis Livingston: the Big Man of Downtown Berkeley
By Katherine Blesie on Meet longtime Street Spirit vendor Olantis Livingston. “I’ve been through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and this right here is my therapy.”
In Dialogue with US Congresswoman Ihan Omar
By Ann-Derrick Gaillot on We caught up with US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar about housing, the coronavirus pandemic, and her first term in Congress.
“Stop the Sweeps”
Our November 2020 cover.
The five steps to becoming homeless: this could be you
By Timothy Busby on With evictions notices becoming legal once again, tens of thousands of Americans who once believed that they would never become unsheltered are going to experience homelessness firsthand.
‘Landless Not Voiceless’: an exhibition by unhoused artists
By Alastair Boone on “Landless Not Voiceless” is an exhibition currently on display at Pro Arts Gallery and Commons in Downtown Oakland being curated by the Cardboard & Concrete Unhoused Artists Collective—a new collective of homeless artists from Berkeley and Oakland.
House keys not sweeps: A campaign for dignity and respect
By The Western Regional Advocacy Project on “Sweep” is a euphemism for “kicking someone’s ass.” To those who are fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with sweeps, the word may sound gentle, but it’s eradication, displacement, and eviction through physical force.
New Study highlights the needs of San Francisco’s unhoused
By Daniel Lempres on A new study from San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness produces policy recommendations based on an extensive survey of people experiencing homelessness in the city.
Twisted Image
By Ace Backwords onPeople living with mental illness are not represented in politics
By Jack Bragen on As an adult with mental illness and progressive values, my primary focus is not on national politics or getting Trump out of office. My main concern is about the treatment of people who live with mental illness and our lack of opportunities to better our conditions.