Wood Street Residents Seeking Place to Go After Eviction From Caltrans Land

Residents of an unhoused community along Wood Street in Oakland asked for a place to sleep Tuesday night as Caltrans is evicting them from their current home.

The residents held a peaceful demonstration outside Oakland City Hall on Tuesday morning to make their request known. They want to work in unison with city leaders such as the City Council and city administration on a solution, the residents said at the demonstration.

The residents also want the city to open at least 8 acres of the North Gateway parcel on the former Oakland Army Base where residents can live. Wood Street residents want the city to cut through red tape. Otherwise, they may be scattered throughout the city.

"This is a crisis," said James Vann, an early founder of the Homeless Advocacy Working Group in the city. "And the city has to act like it's a crisis."

City officials are opposed to letting Wood Street residents live on the North Gateway parcel because of challenges involving toxic substances and federal restrictions on residential use of the land.