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Protesters Demand Hotel Rooms for Homeless During Rally and Occupation

Published

5 years ago

May 27, 2020

53 year old lifelong Bay Area resident Romalita poses during a rally outside Palms Motel on Fri May 22. An unidentified legal observer stands in the background. Photo by Zack Haber.

On Fri May 22 to Sat May 23, housed and unhoused protestors gathered outside Palms Motel for a little over 16 hours to call for 37MLK, a community of mostly elder female lifelong Bay Area unhoused residents, to be sheltered in hotel rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 40 people showed up throughout the 16 hours, with the peak crowd reaching around 30 as one protester, Stefani Echeverría-Fenn, occupied a Palms Motel room by barricading herself to security bars in the room’s bathroom.

The protest started around 11 a.m. People displayed signs emphasizing the urgency of sheltering homeless people. Signs read “HOTELS NOT GRAVES,” and “KEEP US ALIVE.” Echeverría-Fenn wore a shirt that read “I WON’T LET MY UNHOUSED FAM DIE QUIETLY.”

Some 37MLK residents are especially at risk to the dangers of the outdoors and to COVID-19 due to medical conditions and disabilities. Alice, who’s 52, relies on a colostomy bag to digest properly.

“[Cleaning the bag] is a pretty easy procedure but it’s not so easy when you can’t just go turn on water,” she said.

Alice also works as a certified nursing assistant doing in-home care. Her inability to isolate puts her and her client at a heightened risk for contracting COVID-19.

“My main thing is to keep [my colonoscopy bag] clean so I can be healthy for my client,” she said.

Romalita is 53 and is badly in need of hip surgery. She can’t stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. At the protest, she told The Oakland Post the doctors wouldn’t perform the surgery if she didn’t have stable shelter.

“The surgical doctor doesn’t want me to get an infection being outside,” she said.

Both Alice and Romalita had stayed at Palms Hotel for a week, but on Friday, funds that had been acquired through donations had run out, and they planned to live outdoors at 37MLK, where they’d sleep in tents.

Another sign at the protest read “CALL LIBBY OPEN THE EMPTY ROOMS 510-238-3141,” listing Mayor Libby Schaaf’s work phone number. 37MLK residents as well as the mutual aid and housing justice group, Love and Justice in The Streets (LAJITS), have been encouraging residents to call Mayor Schaaf to use hotel rooms, the vast majority of which sit empty due to COVID-19, to shelter homeless people.

LAJITS has pointed out that Oakland Code of Ordinance 8.50.050 allows the city administration of Oakland to “obtain vital supplies, equipment and such properties found lacking and needed for the protection of life and property,” during a state or local emergency, both of which have been declared due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Under the code, Oakland city administration has the power to commandeer such resources.

The Oakland Post emailed Justin Berton, spokesperson for Mayor Schaaf, mentioned Oakland Code of Ordinance 8.50.050, and asked: “Are hotel rooms considered vital and found lacking to protect life in Oakland?” and “If so, are their plans to obtain hotel rooms through the city for homeless residents?”

Berton sent a prepared statement from the director of communications, Karen Boyd.

Boyd’s statement did not say if the city was providing funds for hotels, or if the city planned to obtain or commandeer hotel rooms but said, “We continue to support the county in making referrals into their hotel programs.”

Project Roomkey, which is funded by the state and the county, has secured space for about 520 people including homeless, COVID positive, and high-risk Alameda County residents. In a meeting in mid-May, the county revealed about a third of Project Roomkey’s rooms were still vacant. The program moved its first Oakland homeless resident in on March 25, who showed symptoms of COVID-19. The 2019 point in time (PIT) count lists Alameda County’s homeless population at 8,022, though activists and policymakers largely agree that PIT counts undercount homeless populations, so the true number is likely higher.

Boyd’s statement also said, “our emergency COVID-19 budget proposed additional support for motel vouchers and for funding to help people exit homelessness into permanent housing.” The proposed voucher program would offer 50,000$ in state funds for hotels, less the yearly salary of a first-year Oakland Police officer. The statement also said 56 people are currently being sheltered in trailers provided by the state through Operation Homebase.

Due to the number of hotel rooms available and the slow pace in which the county is filling them, activists are continuing to push the city of Oakland to secure rooms itself while collecting private donations to lease them at loveandjusticeinthestreets.com and through Venmo at @ars_hoetica.

Echeverría-Fenn remained barricaded in the Palms Motel room until around 3 a.m, as protestors continued to be present outside to ensure her safety, when she voluntarily left. Oakland Police came between around and 11:30 pm till 12:30 am but made no arrest nor forced her to leave.

Although she was not arrested, the threat of arrest was real as she hadn’t paid for the room. In a livestream on Facebook as police were present, she said “There can be no business as usual while Oakland is in a public health crisis, a human rights crisis, a civil rights crisis. Members of the unhoused community who are very dear to me personally are literally dying on the street. We lost three of our unhoused comrades in the last one month alone. So I feel like whatever can happen to me in the course of my arrest cannot possibly be as traumatizing as the day to day experience of unhoused folks in Oakland.”

Zack Haber

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

20 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

Oakland Post

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org