In their own words: People’s Park residents get COVID vaccines
By Alastair Boone on Street Spirit interviewed the people who got vaccinated about their experiences.
Month: April 2021
How to get the COVID-19 vaccine as an unhoused person
By Alastair Boone on Homelessness is now a qualifying factor for getting the COVID vaccine in California. This guide will help walk you through the process of signing up for a vaccine.
Remembering Barbara Brust: Founder of Consider The Homeless!
By Katherine Blesie on Barbara Brust died on February 25 at the age of 69. She is remembered by the many who knew and loved her on the streets, in Berkeley’s advocacy community, and beyond, for whom we hope this article serves as a celebration of her life.
What happened at Union Point Park? The long-awaited eviction of the harborside encampment community
By Thomas Brouns on Union Point Park has been closed and encampment residents and city officials struck a deal: Move inside temporarily while the two parties worked together to create Oakland’s first sanctioned encampment. But talks about the sanctioned community have gone cold.
The death anniversary of Hate Man, ‘American philosopher’
By Ace Backwords on It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Hate Man croaked in 2017. But his effect lives on.
Narrative poem: House keys, not handcuffs
By Douglas Levon Dawkins on A narrative poem by Douglas Levon Dawkins.
The fight to save People’s Park persists
By Sabrina Kharrazi on On March 8, People’s Park advocates organized a march and press conference outside the UC Berkeley Capital Strategies office to oppose the university’s plans to build student and affordable housing on top of the park. Here's what's been happening in the fight to save the park over the last few weeks.
Oakland passes MACRO—a major shift away from police response to 911 calls
By Isabella Fertel and Jamie Omar Yassin on In March, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to set up a non-police emergency response unit within the Oakland Fire Department.
Street Spirit’s guide to getting your stimulus check
By on This guide will walk you through the process of applying for your stimulus money. It also contains useful resources for obtaining the documents you need to apply, as well as information about where to cash it free of charge without a bank account.
For people with mental illness, jail should never be normalized
By Jack Bragen on People who violate our overly complex and needlessly punitive web of laws, when they do so due to being disconnected from reality due to a psychiatric illness, are suffering from an illness and they are not criminals.