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OPINION: Lakeview Tiny Homes in Oakland Are Segregated, Critic Says

NNPA NEWSWIRE — It’s unfair to take up spaces that should be for people at the lake and give them to folks from Alameda. I’ve called into City Council many times, and I’ve also addressed Mayor Schaaf on this issue. We can’t have the administration formulate pilot programs that separate whites and Blacks. It’s also important that we take a look and make sure that there’s equality when it comes to finances that are going to each side of this community.

Published

4 years ago

February 25, 2022

Oakland Post

Nino Parker holds a sign outside of The Lakeview Village tiny homes on Feb. 22. Photo by Zack Haber.

By Nino Parker, introduction by Zack Haber

Since Nov. 16, Black Oakland residents Nino Parker and Assata Olugbala have been protesting outside The Lakeview Village, a tiny home community sitting along East 12th Street near Lake Merritt that Oakland has been using to shelter homeless people. Parker and Olugbala call it a racially segregated community.

One portion of the community is made up of people who used to live in tents, self-made homes, and vehicles at Union Point Park. Before living in the park, many of these people were evicted from homes in Alameda. After protests and negotiations with Oakland in March 2021, these people were able to secure a degree of self-governance in exchange for them agreeing to move from Union Point Park to a portion of The Lakeview Village called a “co-governed encampment.” During the site’s setup, the City of Oakland rented out hotel rooms for them. While they currently live in the same small pallet shelters as others onsite, this crew is in the process of building additional infrastructure for themselves and provides some of their own security.

People living in the other portion of Lakeview Village don’t live in a “co-governed encampment” and aren’t allowed the same degree of self-governance. They can’t build their own infrastructure and don’t have access to some of the services that those who live in the “co-governed encampment” have. The following are Parker’s words edited for readability and brevity:

My name is Nino Parker, homeless Black advocate, Bay Area. Recently, a lot of people have heard there’s been an issue at the Lakeview tiny homes. The problem is there are two neighboring communities, with a fence that separates them. One community is made of almost entirely of white people who used to live in Alameda. Of the 15 people that live there, only two are Black. That side got an advantage of having not only hotels that added up to $66,000 in bills, but they also got $350,000 in funding. On the other side of the fence, the community is mainly Black and mixed-race people from Oakland.

It’s unfair to take up spaces that should be for people at the lake and give them to folks from Alameda. I’ve called into City Council many times, and I’ve also addressed Mayor Schaaf on this issue. We can’t have the administration formulate pilot programs that separate whites and Blacks. It’s also important that we take a look and make sure that there’s equality when it comes to finances that are going to each side of this community.

What we need at this point, I think, is to take the fence down. That way we can work on a lot of the other issues in the near future here when it comes to allowing everyone access to whatever is in the tiny home community. If one portion has a kitchen, everyone should have access to a kitchen or any structures that are built there. We need to make sure that there’s equality in this program.

Our protest has been very hard. We’ve been here for over three months. The head of the LLC that had formerly been helping run the co-governed encampment assaulted me, which has damaged my hip, causing me great pain. One white resident has repeatedly stolen my signs. Some other residents, but not all of them, have verbally assaulted me and Assata. The city has stood by and done nothing. But we’re committed to make sure that this city is fair and equitable in its own services to Blacks and whites.

We don’t want programs separating two communities. That’s what this is about. I understand some of the young people here don’t understand what Jim Crow was. Jim Crow was when we had people, Black people, that sat on the back of the bus or sat in the balcony of the theater or had to go in the back door or the colored door. This reminds me of Jim Crow, but in this case it’s OakCrow.

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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.

Published

1 week ago

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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2 weeks ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

3 weeks ago

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.