FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2018
Residents Deliver Valentine’s Day Proposal to City Council: Use Oakland’s Public Land for Public Good
Contact:
Vanessa Riles, East 12th Coalition, (510) 227-4378, vanessariles@yahoo.com
Duc Luu, Public Advocates, (857) 373-9118, dluu@publicadvocates.org
OAKLAND, California – Today, a coalition of Oakland residents led a demonstration at Oscar Grant Plaza to demand that the city council adopt a “People’s Proposal for Public Land” to address the housing crisis, and not the proposal being advanced by city staff, which fails to address the community’s priorities and needs. The city council is likely to take up the matter in just a few weeks at their next Community and Economic Development Committee meeting.
According to John Jones III of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, “More than 2,700 Oakland residents are living on the streets, and more are being displaced every day. This is a do-or-die moment, and those of us who love Oakland, who love Oakland’s people, who love this land and view it as sacred….we cannot rest. We have to act.”
Coalition members have serious concerns with the city’s approach to public land, citing the massive displacement crisis faced by residents. Gloria Bruce of East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) said, “Our proposal guarantees affordable housing on public land, primarily serving very low-income residents, and it prioritizes 100% affordable. The city wants the option to sell off land for market-rate development; we want the city to put the community’s priorities first.”
The People’s Proposal, supported by more than 40 community and faith-based organizations, calls for public land to be used for deeply affordable housing, living wage jobs for existing Oakland residents, and a healthy environment. It also calls for meaningful community oversight of development on city-owned land. City staff’s proposal would exclude affordable housing on most land that the city sells or leases and falls short on promoting quality jobs, healthy communities, or accountability and transparency.
“Our proposal is the culmination of a yearlong process where Oakland residents engaged in a dynamic conversation with Oakland’s community-based organizations and city staff about how to best ensure we use public land for public good,” said Krishna Desai of the East 12th Coalition.
Demonstrators participated in singing, prayer, and speeches before delivering the proposal to the city council office.
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