Among the unhoused, mixed reactions to presidential election results
By Thomas Brouns on Street Spirit spent some time asking encampment residents to share their thoughts on the outcome of the presidential election.
Month: December 2020
The battle over Union Point Park
By Katherine Blesie on Oakland has been trying to close the encampment at Union Point Park for years. But a new legal battle will likely close the camp in February—for good.
Al Mayfield: Jazz musician, fisherman, optimist
By Simone Rotman on On Friday November 13, Al Mayfield sells Street Spirit at his usual spot: the corner of College Avenue and Shafter,
The final days of Jerkle, the wild turkey of the Berkeley hills
By Ace Backwords on I had a poignant moment at my campsite this morning. Involving those goddamn wild turkeys, believe it or not. My hated enemies. But as much of a nemesis and a pain in the ass they can be, I realized there was a bond there.
SF company, Oakland unhoused residents end year-long standoff
By Zack Haber on San Francisco-based company, GameChanger LLC, and seven unhoused residents ended a year-long land use dispute on Monday when residents agreed to leave a 1.5 acre tract of company-owned land just west of Wood Street in West Oakland in exchange for accepting material or monetary concessions.
SF to close down Shelter-in-Place hotels. Where will residents go?
By Quiver Watts on In November, plans to shut down Shelter-in-Place hotels, which are currently housing 2,400 otherwise homeless residents of San Francisco, leaked out of the COVID-19 Command Center. Where will they go?
How to support unsheltered people in the winter months
By Street Spirit staff on Living outside is never easy, but the rain and cold create additional burdens for unhoused people. The following is a list of items to keep on hand to help meet the immediate needs of unsheltered people during the winter months.
Twisted Image
By Ace Backwords onOakland City Council approves new Homeless Commission
By Sabrina Kharrazi on On November 10, the Oakland City Council voted to confirm Mayor Libby Schaaf’s nine selections for the City’s new Homeless Commission. The long-anticipated commission comes two years after the passing of Measure W.
What’s that book Street Spirit vendors are selling?
By Alastair Boone on In July 2019, Rick Paulas generously donated hundreds of copies of his book, Eastern Span, for Street Spirit vendors to sell along with their papers. That experiment was a success—some vendors earned hundreds of extra dollars during the months they were selling his novel. Because of this success, he donated an additional 775 books for our vendors to sell in the coming months.
Natascha the sentient house cat
By Jack Bragen on Justin had what he wanted. Natascha was a one-year-old, female, Russian Blue cat, in near-perfect health. He had bought a pet hospital months before to avoid answering the questions of an adoption agency or county shelter.