Housing & Dignity Village

“The land has been used for illegal dumping for at least a decade. We were unhoused women. We and others like us needed a place to land: women. women in crisis, women breaking free from toxic relationships, women who took care of their children, women who’s children took care of them. we needed a place to find sanctuary in this Sanctuary City. So we cleaned up the illegal dumping, activated The Village network, and joined forces with The East Oakland Collective.

We were only in existence for a little over a month, but during that time we were able to create a space where unhoused women and their children felt safe. We created a place where women could get clean and sober. We created a community that took care of the housed and unhoused in the neighborhood. it was a beautiful thing. Indigenous Day of Mourning and Remembrance (promoted by the colonizer as “Thanksgiving” at The Housing & Dignity Village we fed alot of people in the rain!!!! November 2018

High ranking administrators and officials who NEVER come to evictions were there on Dec 5th, 2018. But so was the community to defend and support Housing & Dignity Village.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-officials-converge-on-banned-homeless-13445647.php

For several hours in the rain advocates negotiated with City officials, while supported blocked the gate and chanted, and residents barricaded themselves inside the gates of The Village.

By early afternoon, The City officials, advocates and residents all agreed on a next step: The City would not demolish The Village and evict the residents until all parties met at the table to flush out The City’s last minute and questionable offers of shelter or discuss other possible solutions.

But 24 hours later while the children were at school and most residents were at work, Oakland Police Department and Department of Public Works swarmed the camp and destroyed it all. No property was salvaged. No one was offered shelter.

the demolition of Housing & Dignity Village by Mayor Libby Schaaff and Asst. Administrator Joe De Vries, in The City of Oakland, CA December 6, 2018

The demolition went well past midnight. When they were done, OPD and Public Works drove off, leaving all the residents on the sidewalk outside the gate of the now empty lot. a majority of the residents stayed outside the lot for a little over a week since there was no where else to go. During that time, one of the residents had her trailer stolen from the street.

And the fight continues….read about life after Housing & Dignity Village here