The West Oakland Gentrification Tour!

by Joanna Letz POOR Magazine Race Poverty and Media Justice Intern

Yvonne Smith longtime resident of West Oakland said, "In the 1940's and 50's West Oakland rivaled Harlem. Right here there was a drug store, afurniture store, a Bank of America, and The Lincoln Theater with the best buttered popcorn…West Oakland was bustling with African-American families…"

Last Saturday’s chilly morning POOR Magazine’s co-editor tiny, her son Tiburcio and I rep-ported and sup-ported on Just Cause Oakland’s tour of development and gentrification in West Oakland. Just Cause is committed to building a powerful voice for and from Oakland's low-income tenants and workers. We started at their newly commissioned billboard across the street from the Bart station on 7th and Chester. The billboard reads, "West Oakland for the People, Stop Gentrification."

The purpose of the gentrification tour of West Oakland as Andre Wright of Just Cause said, "to show city officials what’s happening and what West Oakland used to be. Wright continued on to say, "Change does need to happen. The neighborhood does need to improve. But the same people need to be here with new jobs and new houses." The tour was led through the voices and eyes of West Oakland residents themselves.

Carrie Owens also a long time resident of West Oakland spoke. She said, "My family came on a train sixty years ago to West Oakland. West Oakland used to be a hub of black business. It used to feel like home. But now people are being displaced."

The bus we boarded was modeled after buses in Mexico, with its bright colored paint, old posters adorning the sides, and plastic figures stuck to the dash-board. The bus is a symbol of self-definition and expression.

Just Cause members are demanding that in West Oakland the people of West Oakland decide what the community is to look like.

As the bus rolled away from 7th street the words of Yvonne Smith echoed and bounced off the shiny blue walls as she recalled what West Oakland was once like. I tried to picture what West Oakland must have been like fifty or sixty years ago. Smith continued and said, "The developers get richer while the poor get poorer. The developers build condos that the people of West Oakland can't afford…and people are pushed out. This is gentrification."

Oakland's black population decreased 13% between 1990 and 2000 and has accelerated to close to 25% since 2000. In West Oakland less than 10% of residents can afford the average-priced home.

Smith explained, "Long time home owners are an essential part of our neighborhood."

From 1997 to 2004 the average sale price of homes in West Oakland rose from $53,317 to $315,000. Nearly 80% of West Oaklanders are renters. More than 2/3 of renters are very low or low income.

Vanessa Moses from Just Cause said, "The earliest gentrification in West Oakland happened during the 1990's dot com boom. From 1998-2000 eviction rates increased 250%."

The bus took a turn and Smith pointed out where her Mother's house used to be. Now there sits a parking lot. Smith said the city took her Mother's house by eminent domain. Across the street a monotonous row of condos has been built. The street used to be occupied by old Victorian homes, but they were demolished and replaced with the condos.

The bus slowed and pulled over across the street from De Fremery Park. Smith's voice jumped once again back in time, she said, "The Black Panthers used to hold rallies here in the park. They called for self-determination. For us to decide what our communities look like."

We climbed down into the street, music playing from the speakers. As we stood on the corner of De Fremery Park Andre Wright said, "Decay is Caused by disinvestment in West Oakland. Which has driven down land and house prices. And now the developers are back to cash in."

Andre continued on to say, "We need more vital resources to make West Oakland a place we want to call home."

We were met at the park by DeAngelo Lemmons, also known as Dee Knock, and A'Dunyae. DeAngelo said, "We can uplift the community with music. We need to support local things, like Bump Records, rather than spend your money in Berkeley at places like Rasputin Records." He continued to say, "Developers shut us down out of our own community."

Both DeAngelo and A'Dunyae gave us a glimpse of what they create by spitting some inspiring words of wisdom. DeAngelo and A'Dunyae are both part of Covenant House in West Oakland. Covenant House works to create a different vision of West Oakland and to get homeless youth off the streets.

The sun was shining bright now, but the air was still cold and crisp. As I stepped on the bus I looked back over my shoulder thinking about the Black Panther rallies that took place in De Fremery Park.

We stopped at the Pacific Pipe Factory where a 1500 unit luxury housing development has been proposed. The luxury units would not be affordable for West Oakland residents.

We met with Oakland council member Nancy Nadel. We stood in front of the large structure that was once the Pacific Pipe Factory. Nancy Nadel asked, "What exactly do we want here?" She went on to say, "We need to develop our city in a sustainable way."

The land parcel where Pacific Pipe sits is owned by housing developer Peter Sullivan. Sullivan owns a number of land parcels in Oakland. Sullivan has been telling the Oakland city council that there are no industries interested in the land. But Nancy Nadel explained that she has personally sent interested industry to Sullivan. One such group was Semifreddi's Bakery, but Sullivan would only agree to a five-year contract. The housing proposal at Pacific Pipe does not include a single affordable housing unit. Nadel also explained that the housing proposal does nothing to address the need for jobs in West Oakland.

Nadel said all the large parcels of land in Oakland are being sat on by housing developers.

Nadel showed the correlation between unemployment rates and homicide rates in Oakland. With increases in unemployment, homicide rates increase as well. Nadel said when there are not enough jobs people resort to the black market and this continues violence. Nadel said, "West Oakland needs manufacturing jobs that match the income and education levels of the people that live here."

Ian Kim, the policy director at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights spoke in front of Pacific Pipe. He said, "There are two forces at work when people meet and the group with the plan wins. The City of Oakland has been going without a comprehensive economic development plan. Some factors include job creation, zoning, and education. The city needs to be able to pull the reigns on real estate development."

He went on to say West Oakland needs to build green industry. He gave some examples such as solar and wind energy businesses, and expanding recycling in Oakland. Kim said the Port of Oakland sees massive amounts of scrap metal and wood pulp paper. Kim said, "We need creative ways to create jobs." Recycling programs create many more jobs. We also stopped at Bobby Jones' house. We stood in front of his home and he greeted us all with a hug and began to speak about his experiences in West Oakland.

Bobby Jones said, "The city must put sanctions on development. We must keep rents low and have a concrete rent control plan."

Jones also said, "We must open our eyes and see what we miss. We only have sight and no vision. If you don't know your rights than you will not have a single one."

Bobby Jones and others are trying to start streetcars running in West Oakland again. Back in the day streetcars were a usual occurrence. For more information about the street cars go to soulinthecity.org.

We took the bus a short distance to the historic West Oakland TrainStation. The train station opened in 1912 and was a primary transit center before it closed in 1989. Many African-American families and immigrant families came through the station. The International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first African-American labor union, began at the Station. CL Dellums, mayor-elect Ron Dellum's uncle was part of this union.

We met at the station with Greg Hodge. He said, "Here was the West Coast center for the labor movement. We need to keep this history alive, young people need to know." Hodge also described how the station sits at the geographical center of Oakland as well as the greater Bay Area.

There we were standing outside the train station, in the heart of West Oakland and the heart of the Bay Area, the very place where many West Oakland residents first came. The train station is surrounded by barbed wire. Sea gulls dipped back and forth between where we stood and the station casting their shadows as they went.

Hodge is a part of the 16th and Wood Street Train Station Partnership. They released a development plan report in October. Hodge summarized some of the development plans for the train station, which include, "education, business, self-sustaining restaurants, history, green jobs, and an incubator and home for non-profit organizations." For more information about the Train Station Partnership contact, Margaretta Lin, margarettalin@ebclc.org.

As the bus descended back on 7th and Chester I had a sense that I had traveled in between time. The tour spoke of the struggles and of the resistance and history of resistance in West Oakland. The bus ride was a tribute to resistance as both young and old residents spoke about their experiences living in West Oakland and their visions for their own community.

Bobby Jones said, "We need affordable housing, better jobs, and more opportunity for Oakland residents. The voters have spoken-- It's time to put an end to Jerry Brown- style predatory development."

Before we all dispersed many of us signed Just Cause's Policy Framework to Fight Gentrification and Predatory Corporate Development, which states the following:

- To Advance the rights of working-class West Oaklanders to stay and thrive in their neighborhood.

- To Encourage growth and development in West Oakland that serves the people living here, not that just makes profit for wealthy developers.

- To help secure the resources that will make West Oakland affordable for its renters and homeowners, and that will prevent displacement.

- To be bold and innovative in defending the interests of working-class West Oaklanders of Color against Predatory Development.

For more information about Just Cause visit their website at
justcauseoakland.org