Rally To Oppose Oakland’s Encampment Management Policy

The United Front Against Displacement is holding a demonstration on Tuesday, October 20th at 5pm in front of Oakland City Hall (1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza). The City of Oakland is having a meeting to discuss passing their new Encampment Management Policy. This policy creates no new housing opportunities for homeless Oaklanders and only further propagates the criminalization and displacement of working people. This policy provides no additional sanitation resources for those on the streets in the time of a global pandemic. In fact, all this policy does is normalize the City of Oakland’s informal policy of removing homeless encampments. Even under the current eviction moratorium (which also includes homeless sweeps), evictions of those in formal and informal settlements are still being conducted. This policy creates new formalized restrictions on where people can and cannot live. This policy puts a significant portion of those on the streets under immediate threat of displacement. This policy will be carried out by Oakland Police officers and the Department of Public Works. In a city with over 8,000 people experiencing homelessness, the government continues to criminalize the poor working people of Oakland rather than provide appropriate housing alternatives. It is our duty to stand together in solidarity with the working people of Oakland against this policy and all other oppressive measures it puts forth. Only by standing together in opposition to the government can we force them to listen to the will of the people.

The United Front Against Displacement demands that this policy be rejected!
We Demand Housing for ALL!
We Demand a cancellation of ALL Back Rent!
We Demand an End to Criminalization and Police Brutality!
We Demand Adequate Sanitation Services for ALL!

The City of Oakland has continually forces homeless people to live in inhumane conditions. Even before the pandemic, encampments lacked basic sanitation services and after 7 months, the city has failed to provide even basic amenities such as handwashing stations and porta potties. Rather than follow through on old promises of aid, the city is instead advancing harmful policies to sweep people even further into the margins of society. This issue does not only impact those currently homeless. For almost 7 months, the shutdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has left thousands in Oakland unemployed. Well over 70% of Oakland homeless were once renters in Oakland. As evictions continue to surge in coming months, many newly homeless will be forced to contend with this new policy.