Bay Area

Moms 4 Housing Hosts International Solidarity Event

Published

6 years ago

April 23, 2020

Dominique Walker (front left) and Carroll Fife (front right) of Moms 4 Housing stand with Tur-ha Ak (top left) of Community Ready Corps and Fred Hampton Jr (top right) outside of the Magnolia home that Walker and other homeless and housing insecure Oakland moms occupied for 57 days. Photo courtesy of Dave ID / Indybay.org

Oakland’s Moms 4 Housing hosted an international online solidarity event called “Reclaim Homes from the US to the UK” with representatives from the Focus E15 Campaign in London. It took place on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in Oakland and 6:00 p.m. in England.

“This meeting comes at the time of the great coronavirus emergency, but for many, the emergency was already here, especially for homeless men, women and children who are across the globe. At the same time we know there are many homes and buildings which lie empty,” said Focus E15 member Saskia O’Hara from London at the event.

Both Moms 4 Housing and Focus E15 are housing justice groups that are calling for all people to be housed who wish to be. They have highlighted the fact that housing units remain empty in their communities while people who could live in those empty units remain unhoused.

“There isn’t a housing crisis, there is a profiteering crisis, there is a capitalism crisis, there is a moral crisis that’s allowing this to happen,” said Moms 4 Housing member Dominique Walker.

Both groups have relied on direct action to seek and achieve their goals, prioritizing occupations and protests over negotiations with politicians and owners of vacant housing units. The groups introduced themselves to each other and the over 160 people who attended the meeting and talked about some of the work they have done.

“Focus E15 is a direct action campaign that was formed in September 2013 when a group of young mothers was served eviction notices while living in Focus E15, a hostel for young homeless people. That’s how the campaign got its name,” said Carolina Talaver, a doctoral anthropology candidate at U.C. Berkeley who lived in London, studied the group, and has become an active member.

Talaver explained that the young mothers and their supporters became organized because, after the eviction, the local government told them that “because of cuts to housing, welfare support, and the lack of affordable housing in London, they would have to accept private rented accommodation in different parts of the country if they wanted to be rehoused…these young moms got really organized and they started fighting back,” said Talaver.

On the one-year anniversary of Focus E15’s formation, the group occupied a social housing complex called the Carpenter’s Estate in Stratford East London, which was owned by the local government but left vacant. Focus E15 opened the estate to the public for two weeks as a social center.

“They raised awareness that this estate, which was in good condition and continues to be in perfectly good condition, sat empty. While London’s most in-need and marginalized were being forced out of the city due to lack of affordable housing, the Carpenter’s Estate was empty,” said Talaver.

Focus E15’s occupation and the circumstances it arose has similarities to an action that sparked Moms 4 Housing. Beginning on Nov 18 2019 and ending on Jan 14 of this year, when the county sheriff’s department evicted them, homeless moms who were members of Moms 4 Housing occupied a home on Magnolia Street in West Oakland that a corporation named Wedgewood owned but had left vacant. Wedgewood owns at least 125 properties in the Bay Area.

“We moved into this house to bring awareness to the crisis in our city, which is speculation. Corporations have come into our community…and pushed folks out,” said Walker of Moms 4 Housing.

After hosting rallies and events that regularly attracted more than 100 supporters during their occupation, securing vocal support from Oakland City Council members Rebecca Kaplan and Nikki Fortunato Bas as well as Gov. Gavin Newsom, Wedgwood agreed to sell the home to the mothers through the Oakland Community Land Trust. Wedgwood and the Oakland Community Land Trust are currently in negotiations to get the moms back into the home.

When both groups had finished speaking of their separate struggles and actions, the event, which lasted two hours, hosted a discussion and a Q & A. Those who participated were from Oakland and Sacramento Ca., Portland, Ore., London and Lisbon in Portugal.

“This is only the beginning. We really welcome everyone from around the world,” said O’Hara of Focus E15.

Focus E15 and Moms 4 Housing plan to host another meeting again together.

Zack Haber

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Related Topics:Carolina Talaver Focus E15 Moms 4 Housing Saskia O’Hara Zack Haber

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

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January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

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December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.