SCOTUS rules: Cities can make it illegal to sleep outside
By Alastair Boone on "...it’s dangerous to have a government that doesn’t represent the values and preferences of the people."
homeless encampment
Why we made our encampment beautiful
By Stefani Echeverría-Fenn on An encampment, like any city neighborhood, draws support and investment when it is beautiful. This safety can be a lifeline for unsheltered communities.
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.
Unsheltered leaders of 37 MLK demand to be housed in hotels
By Alastair Boone on Some 30 people gathered outside Oakland’s Palms Motel on Friday to demand that the City of Oakland take immediate action to move more unsheltered people into hotel rooms.
2018: The year homeless people fought back
By Darwin BondGraham on Amidst a slew of new homelessness policy, the unhoused organize to make an impact. Homelessness has long been recognized as a staggering social crisis in the Bay Area, but 2018 was the year it became a full-blown political and legal crisis. In Oakland—the epicenter of the East Bay’s shelter crisis—homelessness was the top issue debated during the mayoral and city council races, and the city’s leaders increasingly recognize the need to prioritize services and shelter for the unhoused.
Homeless activists are resisting Oakland’s encampment sweeps
By Alastair Boone on Many are fighting for dignity and fair housing as the city vows to clear all Lake Merritt encampments.
No more encampment evictions?
By Kheven LaGrone on On September 4, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that cities may not punish homeless people for sleeping outside in public spaces if they do not have access to shelter elsewhere. The case—Martin v. Boise—started way back in 2009, when six current and formerly homeless residents of Boise, Idaho sued the city for giving citations to people who were sleeping outside. The lawsuit rested on the notion that these citations violated the Eighth Amendment rights of Boise’s homeless residents, amounting to cruel and unusual punishment.