A DIY mini-zine for our unhoused neighbors in Berkeley and Oakland
For unhoused residents across California, encampment sweeps are a fact of life. But since the Grants Pass ruling in summer 2024, the volume and intensity of sweeps has only increased.
Here in Berkeley and Oakland, where the unsheltered population far exceeds available resources, many of our unhoused neighbors are not connected to shelter during encampment sweeps. It is common to lose vital documents, medicines, and possessions in the process, and it can be extremely difficult to recover these items once they are taken away.
That’s why Street Spirit, with the help of some friends, developed this “Know Your Rights” guide to be distributed to our unhoused neighbors, which is available to print from your home computer.
The eight-page mini zine details a number of tips for protecting important documents, retrieving property seized during sweep operations, disability advocacy and ADA accommodations, as well as retrieval of towed vehicles. It also includes contact info for organizations who assist unhoused residents during encampment sweeps.
The single-page document is free for download, and we encourage members of the community to print, assemble, and distribute them to our unhoused neighbors throughout Berkeley and Oakland.
Download the .pdf here and check out our Instagram for a step-by-step instruction video for putting the zine together.
Street Spirit is based in Berkeley, CA and run by Alastair Boone, Bradley Penner, and Kevin Sample. We are fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)(3) organization.