Eviction Defense Success

This Fall and Winter, there have been at least 3 major resident wins here in Oakland.

Nov 8th- Huge win for the residents of Wood Street. 

The Wood Street Commons, National Lawyer’s Guild, ABC, TANC, HAWG, and nearby housed neighbors, all came together to confront and document the Department of Public Works, OPD and The City Administrator on Homelessness, Latonda Simmons, and her staff. This coalition all worked to support residents living on Wood Street on between 17th and 20th st in resisting illegal eviction attempts by the City of Oakland.

On the Thursday before Monday’s displacement attempt, Carol Fife of District 5’s office, assured organizers of Cob on Wood, a partnered project of ABC, that nobody would be moved from that area and that they shouldn’t fear harassment or displacement. When residents saw the “Notice to Vacate Illegal Encampment” on that Friday, they moved fast to organize with eviction defenders and make a plan to stand their ground. 

Eviction defenders held an emergency meeting the night before the ordeal and by the end of the 2 hour discussion, with members of The Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Free Press Project, residents knew that this community would stand with them.

The day of, was heated but powerful. Lemonte, one of The Wood Street Common’s leaders and a huge eviction defense activist did an amazing job of calling Latonda Simons out. Moments after she shared (to a gathered crowd of those in solidarity with residents) “Nobody will be moved if they don’t want to.” He was about 40 ft away and shouted “Latonda!!! These men are pressuring X to move!” Annmarie of ABC ran over to where OPD’s “Civilian Technician” was attempting to persuade X to relocate down the road. She told the officers and Peet of DPW (the man who’s job it is to convince unhoused folks to self evict during city sweeps) that he does not have to move if he doesn’t want to due to the CDC’s guidelines, the laws Oakland has in place for evictions during a pandemic, and the illegal nature of that invalid eviction notice.

X smiled and joked at Annmarie, “You’re cute when you are mad” to which she responded, “I care a lot about this, they simply cannot do this to you.” “Thank you.” said X and they hugged. The city officials claimed that a local landowner nearby sued them for breaking the terms of the EMP, and this is why they wanted people to move, a reporter Zack Haber checked into this and later found out this was a bold faced lie. Read his article to learn more. 

zackhaber.medium.com/after-wood-street-clearance-homeless-people-stay-5212e9a39cc4

After OPD, and DPW understood that X knew his rights and wasn’t going to get pushed around, they wandered off with their tails between their legs. Later that day, they were successful in displacing two people, a couple and stated their reason as “we need to make space for the people down the road to move here.” The people down the road stood their ground so sadly this couple moved for nothing.

DPW were almost victorious again, convincing a scared resident to give them permission to demolish his late friend’s home. Annmarie has seen this tactic before, these men freak people out to the point of them agreeing to allow their items to be thrown away and homes bulldozed. They are in a state of high anxiety and fear and just want the conflict to be over. Luckily this shelter was shared between multiple people and Mavin, of The Wood Street People’s Collective and HAWG, Homeless Action Working Group stood in front of the bulldozer and told them they cannot destroy this historic home, her friend’s home, because of how long it has stood and because many people she knows use this space for emergency shelter. When volunteers and other residents stood with her, the city had no choice but to close their operations for the day. They did not come back Tuesday or Wednesday and Wood Street was safe from displacement until further notice.

Other victories from this day were when a Wood Street resident Mike shared with Latonda that the water from the “Safe RV site the city built behind where he lives was leaking foul smelling dishwashing water and food waste onto the back of his home. The city totes these designated “Safe RV Sites” as a safer solution to encampments, however, the one on Wood Street still doesn’t have working showers and they don’t have proper drainage for their sinks. This site opened in June of 2021.

Nov 29th- Cypress Freeway Memorial Park

Again Lemonte, and Theo Cedar Jones of the WSC came to lend their support and knowledge to the residents of Cypress Freeway Park to resist illegal eviction. This camp was entirely made up of black people, most of them elders. Urban Compassion Project was there and helped those who wanted to move, relocate to some of the “Safe RV Lots” and assisted residents who preferred to stand their ground. It is important to note that if an unhoused person lives in their car, tent, shelter or rv and stays inside when OPW and DPW ask them to move, there is nothing that these authorities can do to remove them. They would need to come back with a warrant signed by a judge and this could take months and a lot of paperwork to obtain.

Some people left for other sites on the first day. One older man who became recently homeless again after his wife passed and he became too lonely and disorganized to stay in his apartment. He moved all of his items to another street but couldn’t get his car into neutral so volunteers could move it. Luckily the city let his car stay there, because this is where he sleeps.

The second day of this eviction attempt, 3 families remained. They were very tidy and spoke articulately when peacefully confronting Amari of the City Administration on Homelessness. The attempting evictors slowly began to see that those remaining were not willing to leave, so they became desperate. The civilian technician who is close to retirement from OPD, so cannot rock the boat in the position he is in. This is the same man who was harassing X earlier this month, and now he was threatening a man living in the large RV on the street. He said “If you do not leave on your own terms, we will arrest you and impound this vehicle.” Which is fully illegal and could have been the mistake that cost the City of Oakland their loss in this battle of humanity and attempted force. 

The following day, Anthony, the man who was in the role of City Administrator on Homelessness (before it became a role for displacing unhoused folks), arrived and was as peaceful as ever. He was pleased that Stuff was starting to renovate his homemade shelter so that the sidewalk was clear. He was a great diffuser in remedying the very stressful and heated discussions of yesterday.

Near the Rv, there was one final conflict where DPW workers used their bobcat to remove debris. They were driving faster than trash could be sorted and separated from personal possessions. The one worker wanted to show off how swiftly he could maneuver this vehicle and almost smashed a cage with the resident’s dog inside. Volunteers stood in front of the bobcat (mini bulldozer) at this point and told them to turn the engine off. He also came within inches of hitting an electrical pole. Organizers could see that certain OPD officers were growing sympathetic and more aware of the pain and unnecessary anxiety this situation was placing upon exhausted residents and volunteers. They were less aggressive and then grew silent.

After the City’s team came back from break, everyone was told that the three families would be allowed to stay so long as they kept their areas tidy and that the sidewalks were clear. This marks the first time in Oakland’s history where a public park would be stewarded by unhoused residents. This was a huge victory for everyone involved. 

Dec 20th- East Oakland

Tension between residents and local business owners on 45th ave in Oakland grew exponentially leading to an illegal eviction attempt by the city of Oakland the week of Christmas. The business owners were upset that they couldn’t access the sidewalk and feared fire danger (in the pouring rain) that could be caused by unhoused folks cooking and using stoves to heat the inside of their homemade wooden structures.

Residents complained about this business owner for letting their dog poop all over these same sidewalks. The city had fined this business owner for graffiti that muraled the back wall of their business. Later the business owner also shared that he pays an incredibly high sum in taxes, which is true. The city of Oakland and CA charges an arm and a leg for their small business during tax season.

There was a heated moment when the business owner came out with a big grin and was filming the back and forth between Chi-Rack, his advocates, OPD and DPW. The advocates called him out for smiling while a man was going through trauma. No matter what their beef had been in the past, this filming was heartless, shameful and inhumane.

Tensions were high, but a small group of eviction defenders led by Jaz, volunteers and members of HAWG and ABC convinced the city that nobody should be displaced in the rain and during Christmas. It was OPD who made the call, “Nobody will be moved today.” The city reluctantly left after a few folks in tents moved less than a block away, while folks living in their cars, RV and a homemade shelter stayed.

The following week they were back and in less than 7 days, $1500 was raised to purchase an RV for Chi-Rack, the man who lived in the wooden structure. Volunteers helped haul this RV from West Oakland to East Oakland and he was able to relocate his wooden shelter from the sidewalk to the street. He had the help of Lemonte and a handful of volunteers so that the experience would not be as traumatizing as illegal eviction experiences of his past. This is harm reduction in the sense of our actions reduced the impact of the city’s pressure on unhoused peoples here.

The funds raised also went to another family on 45th who were living in tents before. Two used RVs were purchased during the holidays. It is beautiful what a few people can do to help one another out in difficult times. Instead of stand by when others are suffering, stand up for them and find ways to help. The smallest effort can change someone’s situation.

Email us if you have energy to help organize, and defend against encampment displacement at Artistsbuildc@gmail.com

Join Wood Street’s Rapid Response text thread if you wish to defend Wood St. Text EFAM to 18335260406.

Follow Urban Compassion Project on Instagram to stay updated with their projects and to plug in for eviction defense.

Son’s Birthday Wish

Here we are a year after my last blog post!

Last year our organization was just beginning and we had a lot of work to do to hit the ground running and find quick ways to fundraise and house people.

I apologize for taking so long to return to this story. It was a wildly busy year. Here is a bit of a recap from Part 1 if you are unfamiliar:

“Son and I started walking to the Chinese Medicine Shop and he told me about his life. I found out that he has a daughter my age, he is a chef, and he has slept in a box on the steps to this Chinese Community center for 10 years. I gave him a little bit of money, it was less than 5 dollars, and he wrote his phone number down on the box of medicine that I had just bought. I promised him that I will try and help him with a catering job once my apparel brand grows and I can afford to. I imagined him cooking for all of our models/crew when we do a photoshoot down the line.

This dream quickly came true.. Read next week to hear what unfolds. “

In 2018, I worked as a sewing/acting teacher for a non-profit after school program, I drove for ride share services on the side and did fashion design in my spare time. I did not have disposable income, but knew it would be important to boost my new friend Son up through offering him a catering gig.

I called Son but his number was out of service. He had earlier described where he lives and it wasn’t hard to locate the lone box on the steps of the Chinese Community Center in Oakland’s China town. He was not home, so I wrote on a small piece of paper and taped it to his box.

“Hey! This is Annmarie the Fashion Designer you walked to get Chinese herbs a few months ago. I have a catering job for you! Please call me at:” and I left my phone number.

A week later he called and was VERY excited. I offered him $100 to cook for 5 models for our upcoming swimwear shoot. He decided on Italian Seafood. We got the confirmation from my roommates to use our kitchen. I picked Son up form China town, we went shopping, got around $100 worth in groceries and I brought him to the Vulcan Lofts.

He told me more about his life, his family and his daughter. He beamed when talking about her and it was beautiful to see his happiness despite his hard life. Son escaped Vietnam as a refuge at 11. He moved with his aunt to San Francisco. Sadly he joined some notorious Asian gangs. He was married and had his daughter and then went to jail for his involvement in these gangs. After he got out his family had split up. He was doing alright for a while and then a family member falsely accused him of attacking her. Since he had already been to prison, the police took her word over his and he went back to jail. Then the US decided to strip him of his citizenship and send him back to Vietnam. This was a country he hasn’t lived in for over 30 years.

Vietnam didn’t want him either and refused to allow him to enter the country. So now he was in limbo between two countries and without citizenship it is hard to get a steady, and decently paying job.

So he worked as a chef, assistant chef and dish washer for some years. He didn’t directly share this with me but I could imagine that substance abuse played a piece in harming his chances at constant payed work. When recently speaking with a man who was helping him navigate housing through Oakland’s Tough Sheds, he shared that Son could not get into subsidized housing unless he was willing to join AA or sober up.

It’s baffling that this would block his housing as people need a home before they can heal.

Back to the photoshoot! Son made a gorgeous ceasar salad, a stunning shrimp Alfredo dish with homemade sauce and even insisted on us buying garlic bread for an appetizer and a cake for desert. The models were all blown away and honored to be spoiled with such a decadent pre-photoshoot feast. Our photographer took many helpings home with her and there was enough for all of us to save leftovers. I was even able to feed my roommates as a thank you for the use of our communal kitchen for a day.

I drove Son to the gym where he takes showers after the cooking was complete. I couldn’t afford to but gave son $170 for his kindness and culinary skills. He was tearing up, told me he loved me and we had a powerful hug before parting ways. I was fully broke but felt no stress as I can always catch up on my finances later. What happened that day was needed for my friend.

THREE MONTHS LATER

I get a text from Son’s daughter sharing that he has been in a hit and run. Thankfully he was still with us. She kept me updated with his injuries and status at Highland Hospital. I spoke with more knowledgeable housing rights members of Tenant’s and Neighborhood Councils. They shared options for paths to housing for him and even let me know about restaurants and cafes that make a point to hire formerly incarcerated people.

His daughter and I texted back and forth like this for a month and finally she asked me for my last name. I shared it and she then asked if I went to Benicia High. I did. She told me that we ran track and cross country together.

Nadia Nguyen!!! I exclaimed “WOOOOOAH!!!!!!!!!” Out loud and shared with my partner across the room. Not only had I been in the same graduating class as Son’s daughter, but I ran long distance track with her every day for two full years and Cross Country for three! This was amazing! My mind was blown that the very first unhoused person that I made a fully involved effort to help, would be related to an amazing woman who I spent a great deal of time with in high school.

This feeling of the universe confirming that “If you can help just one person, it will effect everyone you have ever met.” is incomparable to any experience I have ever had.

From there Nadia donated full car-loads of clothing that I happily shared with folks living on East 12th street in Oakland. We have kept one another updated and I offer her any and all knowledge I have on housing opportunities in the Bay Area.

When starting ABC, Son was absolutely someone I was hoping we would build an emergency tiny home for. We also talked about building another for his best friend who often stays in shelters with him. Luckily last May he started the path via transitional housing. I was deeply skeptical from what I’d heard from unhoused friends. Luckily Son entered the tough sheds with his best friend and was able to continue to live there (a lot of folks can’t take it and leave the program before gaining subsidized housing vouchers) until this month.

I am happy to announce that Son is staying at THE HILTON hotel in Emeryville in his own private room! He will continue to live there until he is placed in permanent housing and he shared that he has dreams of moving to Sacramento so he can be closer with his church. You are almost there Son! I could not be more happy for you <3

Son now texts me three times each week. He always says,

Mondays: “Happy dreadful Monday! Love and Miss!”

Wednesdays: “Halfway there!”

Fridays: “HAPPY FRIDAY! I am ALIVE!”

I am so honored to have met him in China town on that random day over two years ago.

Thank you Son. I hope you have permanent housing in Sacramento by your next Birthday.

Artists and builders take on the housing crisis during the pandemic by forming an organization to build tiny homes.

By Ryan Geller

A group of artists that have turned their focus to housing issues during the pandemic assembled a tiny home in the Wood St. encampment during the last two weekends of August. The home is for Mona who has been living at the encampment for 4 years and is now caring for her dog Little One and her litter of six puppies. 

Artists Building Communities, or ABC short, was formed after residents of the Vulcan artist lofts near Fruitvale developed fundraising skills to pay for legal support in a dispute with their landlord. The group then turned their efforts toward addressing homelessness in their neighborhood by raising funds to build three tiny homes. Members of ABC completed the homes as part of a project on E 12th St. at 16th and 23rd Ave. managed by The Village, a community based organization that provides support for homeless encampments in Oakland. Inspired by the experience the group began work on establishing a 501.(c)(4) political organization to promote “housing first” policy. 

Mona's new home, an 10’ by 12' structure with pier block footings, press board siding and second use windows is nestled between the “Y” of an unused railroad beneath the overpasses that connect I-80 to I-880 alongside West Oakland. Next door to her new home is a bus encircled with piles of scrap metal and old motors and electrical equipment that she collects to disassemble for recycling. “It might look like piles of trash but actually this is my savings. I just need someone with a truck to help me bring it in,” Mona said. 

Residents of the encampment lining Wood St. have been making use of the vacant lots alongside and underneath the West Grand Interchange between the old Oakland Railroad terminal and the edge of Emeryville shopping center. Much of this land is property of Caltrans along with some private holders. 

The fencing of the properties has been peeled back or cut and a couple bumpy dirt roads lead to the semi-paved access road that winds in between the support structure of the freeway ramps. There are appliances and mattresses, broken windows and random items strewn about, sometimes in the road or piled beside it. Some of the items are organized and collected around a trailer or a group of tent structures. “Look, do they think the people camping out here brought washing machines and refrigerators? Come on, they gotta know that nobody out here is doing it. Those are all home things,” Mona said, frustrated with the dumping that often occurs at the West Oakland encampment. 

The goal of ABC is to demonstrate that building tiny homes for individuals in the encampments and providing supportive services can give folks the boost they need to move away from cycles of crime, violence and drug addiction. 

Annmarie Bustamante, one of the Co-founders of ABC, said that they advocate for housing first policies because such policies reduce the barriers that keep many houseless individuals from accessing services. “Programs like Section 8 often have long wait lists for housing and then if you don't have an ID or are not a US citizen or if you are struggling with drug addiction the vetting process can be difficult,” Bustamante said. “To expect someone to fill out all this complex, intensive paperwork and figure out the housing system, while suffering from a drug addiction or other mental health issues, is just too much.” 

Mona's house was the first project that ABC has completed as an independent organization. “We picked Mona because she was living in a car and she is tough but it is dangerous to be a woman living in this encampment,” said Bustamante. Mona agreed, “It's hard out here. It’s hard. You got the thieves, you got rapists, night creepers and a community of females. I worry a lot. To live out here as a female I have to portray a hard attitude, like ‘I will fight back!’ I don’t care if you are a man, I don’t care! I'm gonna fight back. Because of that they tend not to bother me as much but I’m still traumatized by a lot of shit that happens here.” 

In their selection process for the new homes ABC also looks for people who have shown a commitment to the encampment community. The next house will be built for a man named Wise who is often lending a hand around the camp. “If we can show solidarity with the residents that are already helping out then they can pass that on to others at this encampment” Bustamante said. 

Completing Mona's home was a big step for ABC because now they have demonstrated that they can produce tangible results as an independent organization. “Without a finished project it was hard to convince potential funders that we are really walking the talk,” said Bustamante. But now she has noticed that people are comfortable donating to upcoming projects. 

The home for Wise is already fully funded and the home after that is ¼ of the way funded. That house will go to a woman living at the encampment who has been homeless for 12 years. The tiny homes cost ABC about $4,000 for all of the materials. Volunteers have been generous with their labor but ABC's organizers are looking to improve their efficiency on the upcoming projects. “Next time instead of just one build director we are going to have an additional role that is dedicated to coordinating tools and materials. We also need someone to do build training and coordinate those that are less skilled. We hope to knock out the next one in 4 days,” Bustamante said. 

Many of the volunteers who built Mona's house are workers whose employment was affected by the shelter in place orders. Bustamante is a fashion designer who makes clothing for the festival scene. She also designs fashions for musicians but when the festival and music circuits came to a halt her business slowed down dramatically. 

Jah-Know Johnson Wright, the lead carpenter for Mona's home was working for the IATSE set and stage builders union, but the events work also slowed down because of the pandemic. Johnson Wright is a long time burner. He sees the homeless encampments as an opportunity for much needed social change and a way for burner communities to make a tremendous impact by sharing their wealth and success. “Everyone knows that homelessness disproportionately affects Black folks and Burning Man is an event that has struggled with diversity and participation from Black communities. This is partially because of the high cost of the event but there are also safety and cultural concerns that Black people have to consider when participating in a predominantly white community of artists. Burning Man is closed this year and I have been suggesting to my burner friends that we use the resources that would normally go into the event to make encampments livable and healthy” Johnson Wright  said. 

Bustamante attributed the sudden collaboration of Artists Building Communities to “Everyone being unemployed at the same time.” She and other volunteers said that they were also motivated by concerns about what would happen to homeless communities during the pandemic. Katie Brown joined ABC after she had met Bustamante at a tenant’s rights action. Tenants groups have been regular supporters at the Wood St. encampment often bringing sanitary supplies and even doing extension work for needle exchanges and harm reduction programs. 

“Everyone is seeing the vulnerability of society and the system we live under and if or when it crumbles I feel like we need to be ready to support each other in more material ways. I was doing an office job before this. I don’t know what is going to happen with that job but in the meantime I can help someone actually have a stable place to stay during an unprecedented global pandemic. I was restless and frustrated before I found this volunteer job. I think this is a good way to spend my time,” Brown said. 

Brown is not a stranger at the Wood St. encampment. She had met Mona while delivering dog food to the residents there before she began working with ABC to build Mona a home. “I have held a drill a few times in my life but I am basically a beginner. I just learned how to seal up the house with caulking the other day. I still have never held a power saw because I want all my fingers but I do want to learn how to operate a saw safely,” Brown said.

According to Mona, when the City began preparing to build a safe RV parking site on one of the Wood St. lots city officials held a meeting to gather input from encampment residents. One of the points that residents raised was the desire for opportunities to participate in the paid work of cleaning up the encampment, Mona said. 

“Everybody who showed up gave their ideas. We said we needed dumpsters, we needed hand sanitizer stations, and garbage bags and cleaning supplies to clean it all up,” Mona said. “And we wanted the money from recycling scrap during the clean-up to come back to Wood street. Well that didn’t happen... they took our ideas and came in with a whole crew that had their own equipment and everything and Wood St. didn’t get anything but displacement.” 

Mona was hoping to get a job herself with the clean-up crew. “I heard certain people from the camp got work, like the guys, certain guys got paid to do little stuff, but they weren't really doing much of anything, ” she said. “Then my bus got messed up when the City’s crew moved it with a bobcat even though they had no permission from me to do that.” 

After having all of her possessions pushed from one property to another Mona said that she is just grateful to have a new home. “Last night I walked in my house,” she said. “I mean the door wasn’t locked because that part was not finished yet, but I went in and shut the door behind me and put a ladder there so nobody could come in. That felt good just to shut a regular door, a house door, not a camper door, not a car door, a house door.”

The Current in a Sea of Displacement

Today as we speak there are hundreds of people every minute that are displaced into a condition without a definite resolve.   As our economy slides deeper into collapse, and Covid takes it’s toll, we must prepare ourselves to be agents of change and act as our own political entities to exact transformation in these challenging times.

Artist Building Communities was founded on the principle of direct action from its inception and strives to cooperate with the existing organizations, to erect housing in the shadows of the city where people have been swept into the cracks.  

Our exploration has taken us from east Oakland at the 12th st. Village, and BK Village in cooperation with Ohlone Village Builders, to Seabreeze Encampment where Annmarie, and Dmitri were able to aid Mr. West, Shawna, and various other in acquire medical attention and supplies for their everyday needs.  We discovered that there is a restriction that excludes the construction of anything that is deemed “permanent”.   So as a result we began to focus our energy on Wood st. Encampment which has less visibility and more space with virtually no police presence.  

As we get to know the various residents of Wood st., we have come to find a rapport with quite a few.   An old friend is currently residing there and we have proposed to build something for him.   An African American woman named Mona who has been out there for five years and has become our first recipient of a tiny home at Wood st. Encampment.   We have organized with one of the compounds and are developing a relationship with them such that if there is ever an eviction that we could be part of a rapid response phone/email network to defend their homes and the ones we are building.  Please drop us your e-mail/phone if you are interested in being part of a rapid response network to defend encampments/build sites.

As of now we are more than 3/4 finished with our first build out at Wood st. And there has been nothing but positive response.  The structure has doors and windows installed and is and is awaiting the final touches of roofing and interior paneling, paint, and voila!   We are looking forward to further coalition with the Wood st. encampment as we have amazing rapport with the population and the fact that many unhoused are directed there by the police.  

Dmitri and Zoe have been providing amazing support with food and logistics, and we are happy to announce that Zoe is running for city counsel!  I also want to thank our builder friends Matt, Alexis, John, and now Ben and Bobby, Ryan, Katie, and Jenny, who have all been invaluable.

The Organizations that are doing outstanding work out there in the unhoused communities of Oakland are, Youth Spirit Artworks headed up by Sally Hindman, building yurt style homes in a village at 633 Hegenberger. The Ohlone Village Builders are the most prolific and well establish group with various sites off 12th st. In east Oakland.   EFAM (Essential Food and Medicine) providing food and healing elixirs as well as various amenities to the unhoused in various locations.   UFAD (United Front Against Displacement) is a political organization that is striving to offset displacement by protecting and offering a political platform to force local government and other local organizations to address the problem of homelessness in the Bay Area and beyond. Not to mention their development and distribution of hand washing stations for various encampments. UFAD has a clean up/trash removal scheduled for September 29th-30th.  These organizations are the backbone of an evolving support structure for the unhoused encampments around the east bay.    

Right now we are looking for housing stewards in various capacities.   Please check out what positions are open if you would like to become a part of the ABC Team.   Thanks for listening and stay tuned for information on how you can get involved!

Signing off….
Jonathan Wright
Build Director

Annmarie’s Birthday Promise

My name is Annmarie Bustamante, I am on of the founders of ABC, Artists Building Communities (formerly known at Unhoused Artist Aid) and first got interested in providing unhoused aid through the houseless solidarity group I joined through TANC, Tenants and Neighborhood Council. They shared an update that an entire encampment here in Oakland had burned down and folks are in need of sleeping bags and tents. I had a large tent that I use for camping and burning man sometimes. It was a 10 by 10 ft tent with a pole that was starting to break. I also had a dusty but very comfortable sleeping pad to offer. That night I came over, parked opened my trunk and shared “I heard y’all need tents”. The men there were elated and they set the large tent up right away. I apologized saying “Sorry this sleeping pad is a bit dirty.” and the recipient laughed and confirmed “It will work, thank you.”

This was in September 2019, and I’m a Lyft driver so I can see this encampment from the freeway each time I drove home from Berkeley or San Francisco. Every time I drove by I could see the tent I donated, and I felt such warmth knowing that these folks have it a little bit better because of what I shared.

The next month, I went to Oakland’s China town to pick up some lung moistening medicine (my cough from Burning Man that summer was still lingering) and my acupuncturist from Lake Merritt Community College directed me to a small shop there. The man I would meet on this day, would change my life forever.

I am always hyper vigilant about hiding all my valuables in my trunk and offering zero incentive for anyone to smash my windows. I have had various Lyft rental cars, and my own personal vehicles’ windows broken 4 times in 5 years, and had my battery, license plate, registration stickers stolen right outside my home. So I am super careful. I parked, moved my jackets to the trunk and hid my cellphone charging cords. I closed my car door and there was Son. An unhoused Vietnamese man in his 50’s. He warned me about how cars get messed with very frequently here. I agreed and showed him that I never leave anything remotely valuable in plain site, not even coins. He learned where I was headed and insisted that he escort me there, for protection.

This reminds me of a time in college. I went to some electronica show in Downtown San Francisco and was staying at my friend’s place in the Tenderloin. I’m a 5’2 woman, I was wearing a tiny little dress, I had consumed a large amount of alcohol and was walking by myself to this friends place (I’m not sure why I was solo, but potentially these friends left the event before me because they needed to sleep). This was the era before Ride Share, and Taxi drivers were more dangerous and manipulative than walking in one of the most famously sketchy strips in the city. It was six or so blocks total from Ruby Sky to Hyde and Turk. And the tenderloin changes every year, but I can assure you my friend did not live in some glistening, refurbished luxury apartment that have now gentrified this characteristically “rough” place. They lived on the bottom floor of these old, and crumbling apartments where the landlord refused to do anything about the cockroaches. Anyways, I saw a random unhoused man who was walking around. I declare, “Sir! You are much bigger than me, are you doing anything right now? Can you be my body guard?” And he was very enthusiastic to help. Maybe it was the liquid courage, or the energy I felt from this person, but I was instantly relieved, we went and got pizza and then he safely escorted me home.

I have fond memories of random houseless help when I am notably in trouble, so I obliged. Son and I started walking to the Chinese Medicine Shop and he told me about his life. I found out that he has a daughter my age, he is a chef, and he has slept in a box on the steps to this Chinese Community center for 10 years. I gave him a little bit of money, it was less than 5 dollars, and he wrote his phone number down on the box of medicine that I had just bought. I promised him that I will try and help him with a catering job once my apparel brand grows and I can afford to. I imagined him cooking for all of our models/crew when we do a photoshoot down the line.

This dream quickly came true.. Read next week to hear what unfolds.

Happy birthday to me, I am so glad to be able to help Son and a plethora of other beautiful folks here in the Bay Area who have found themselves out on the streets. It is crucial that we work to house them in this health hazardous time. Housing is a human right. Nobody is homeless, the Earth is all our home,

#ArtistsBuildingCommunities #BlogPost #One #ToBeContinued