Good Samaritan Attacked For Helping The Downtrodden

Good Samaritan Attacked For Helping The Downtrodden
By Lynda Carson March 24, 2004

In Oakland, a land of intolerance, it's not safe to be a good samaritin and the latest attacks against a Christian Abbey by Oakland City Officials has become the focus of national media attention, and in it's own surreal way seems Kafkaesque.

On March 15, the day before the vote for the Nuisance Eviction Ordinance (NEO) took place at Oakland City Hall, hysterical Oakland Officials pulled a fast one and served an Eviction Notice intended to displace at least 26 to 30 residents of St. Patrick's Abbey Housing Program, in East Oakland.

The founder of the Abbey, Father Donald Weeks, believes that the mass eviction order was a political move by Oakland Officials who were attempting to chase away one former prison inmate by name of Cary Verse who has been labeled as a violent sexual predator and was recently released from prison after serving 12 years.

At the invitation of Father Weeks, who is known for his good deeds for helping out the sick and the poor, Verse moved into the Abbey on March 11, after being hounded and harassed at several former locations of residence since his release from prison.

"Councilman De La Fuente wants to run for Mayor of Oakland, but only hurts people in this town. If he becomes Mayor someday, I would consider moving to another City. De La Fuente came by and pushed me around while a cop stood by watching, and I asked to have De La Fuente arrested. I was told that I could file a complaint downtown, if I wanted to," said Weeks.

On March 15, Councilman De La Fuente whipped up a mob of 200 locals to protest outside of Verse's then residence at St. Patrick's Abbey, and then followed up by having an Eviction Notice served to Father Weeks and all the residents at the East Oakland location.

By early evening after the eviction notice was served, in hope of saving all the others from being evicted, Verse was packed up and whisked away to San Jose, where protests continued there once his presence became known.

Only days before, Councilman De La Fuente threatened to do whatever it takes to get Verse out of his residence at the Abbey. City Officials then followed through with a scheme to accuse Father Weeks of having code violations at the Abbey and of violating Oakland's occupancy laws. Weeks and the rest of the residents were then served an eviction notice.

The open public verbal assaults between Father Weeks and Councilman De La Fuente have not subsided since Verse relocated to San Jose, and the latest occurred on March 23 when Father Weeks had a press conference and urged people to recall De La Fuente from office, and De La Fuente fired back by claiming that Father Weeks was not a real Catholic priest.

In a call to De La Fuentes Office on March 24, I attempted to speak with the councilman, and was given to Libby Schaff, De La Fuentes Legislative Aide, to speak with.

"Are the papers correct about all the recent quotes given by Councilman De La Fuente with regards to Father Weeks, of St. Patrick's Abbey," I asked.

"Theres a number of statements in the papers attributed to the councilman with regards to Father Weeks," said Schaff. "Are any of those statements un-true," I asked? "Not that I'm aware of," said Schaff.

St. Patrick's Abbey has a Church on the second floor. It was founded by Father Weeks in 1992 and also has a transitional housing program to help out people with aids/HIV, and those that are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. "I am not for condoms or needle exchange, but if it helps to save lives by stopping the spread of aids, then I am not against it," said Weeks.

The Abbey also offers a deaf program known as the Abbey Deaf Ministry, a reach out to men and women in the community that are deaf or hard of hearing. Presently there are around 26 residents including staff at St. Patrick's Abbey.

Father Weeks is also known for a number of vignettes that he wrote, including one about the life and times of Archbishop Joseph Rene Vilatte, the first person to bring independant catholicism to North America. It took Father Weeks at least 20 years to put together a wonderful library collection of more than 5,000 books that he shares with the community, and he says that I have not seen it in it's entirety.

Father Donald Joseph Demetrius Weeks was born in 1943, was ordained as a minister on May 5 1965, ordained as a priest on August 15 1970, and consecrated as a Bishop on May 23 1971. Since May of 1999, he has been the Abbot of St. Patrick's Abbey in Oakland.

"We may have only 30 days left to relocate. We would like to stay if at all possible. The people that own the property are old in their 70's and do not have the money needed to bring it up to code. They are also very frightened of losing their property, and their money in the process."

"Things happen when Councilman De La Fuente is angry and does not get his way. Don't forget about the needle exchange program that burned down a few years ago when De La Fuente tried to chase them out of the district," said Weeks.

Indeed, on News Year Eve just before 2001 began, a nearby arson fire was set by an unknown arsonist. The fire gutted the needle exchange program being run by Casa Segura with an estimated $250,000 in damage. Shortly before the fire, the program was caught up into a nasty battle with Councilman De La Fuente who had also whipped up angry mobs of protesters back then in an effort to chase them out of the district.

"Ever since we tried to help out Cary Verse, we have been under attack and it has never stopped. Recently, De La Fuente started spreading rumors that another sex offender resided at the Abbey, and I had to ask Enrique to leave when I learned that he was a low-level sex offender that failed to register with the City."

"I do not understand why City Officials are still giving me such a hard time, when there are so many other properties around in much worse condition," said Weeks.

Anyone that can help out is free to call Father Weeks at 510/533-1200.
Donations can be made at; St. Patrick's Abbey Fund at Washington Mutual of Alameda.