What is a home?
By Inti Gonzalez on "The beautiful people of Oakland are what keep the city alive. But they are leaving too, the great majority of them not by choice."
Inti Gonzalez
Our December cover
Our December cover
Celebrating the life of Mike Zint
Michael “Mike” Zint, an outspoken activist whose “Poor Tour” around Berkeley thrust the plight of homeless people in city officials’ faces, died on February 14. He was 53.
Use caution when telling people you were homeless
By Andy Pope on When I was first trying to get inside, I made sure my prospective landlord wouldn’t know I had ever been homeless. Why? Simply put, I didn’t want to jeopardize my chances. It was enough to tell him I was on a fixed income, which at the time was Social Security Disability
We must take matters into our own hands
By Tracy Lee on Oakland is a city of so many races and cultures. Different, diverse, and from so many kinds of backgrounds. But one thing that unites us is the caring and loving people we are. No matter how hard the struggle may be, we always take care of each other. We are all in the same boat—struggling to live. We take matters into our own hands to get through life.
Remembering Michael Diehl
By Lydia Gans on For over 40 years Michael Diehl was a presence in Berkeley, on the streets and the parks, connecting with people, talking, listening, or just being present. Many were homeless or inadequately housed.
How I Got Inside
By Andy Pope on When I was homeless in the San Francisco Bay Area, I relied to a large degree on the moral support of lifelong friends and family who were not. For one reason or another, it was not feasible for any of them to let me stay in their homes for any substantial length of time.
The History of People’s Park
By Alastair Boone on Street Spirit pulled this timeline from “People’s Park: Still Blooming”; Edited by Terri Compost. It has been lightly