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Kaplan, Councilmembers Support Expanded Safe Car Park Program for Unhoused

The need for safe overnight parking is crucial and well-documented, according to Kaplan. In January 2022, the Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Survey revealed that there are more than 3,337 unsheltered individuals in Oakland, and the number of people living in their vehicles has increased. Homelessness is a complex crisis that requires both short-term and long-term solutions, she said.

Published

1 year ago

January 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan. Courtesy of KRON4.

By Post Staff

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan has released a statement saying she is encouraged that the Oakland City Council has approved resolutions she introduced in partnership with Council President Nikki Bas and Councilmember Carroll Fife to support local faith-based congregations who use their properties as safe overnight parking to help Oakland’s unhoused population living in their vehicles.

The data shows that while the proportion of unhoused people living in tents has decreased in recent years, the proportion living in cars has increased. Therefore, this effort partners with local faith-based organizations to help those living in their vehicles, Kaplan said.

The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) Safe Parking program provides safe and legal overnight parking at local churches. This program provides support for minor auto repairs, car registration and tickets, along with access to showers and laundry. It is an essential program for Oakland’s unhoused population that lives in their vehicles, including single adults, couples and families with small children, Kaplan said.“The Interfaith Council of Alameda County, in partnership with the Westside Missionary Baptist Church, has run a safe car park program for the last five years with many other congregations and partner nonprofits. With the leadership of Kaplan, on the Council, the Mayor’s office, Council President Nikki Bas, and Councilmember Carrol Fife, we were able to get a commitment of funding of $450,000 from the City of Oakland to expand our operations to three sites to continue to support the Oakland community living in their cars,” said Rev. Ken Chambers, ICAC president.Kaplan has pointed out that the city has money for the safe car park program but has not spent it.Oakland voters approved Measure Q with 68% of the vote. Measure Q promised voters park maintenance, litter reduction and homelessness intervention in and around city parks. However, the City Auditor found the City underspent collected taxes, accruing a fund balance of nearly $22 million as of June 30, 2023.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

5 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.