We, at the Sustainable Economies Law Center, condemn Sheng Thao’s recent enthusiastic response to Governor Newsom’s cruel and unconscionable Executive Order N-1-24, from July 25, 2024, justifying the escalated and aggressive sweep of our unhoused Oakland neighbors in the wake of the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision by the Supreme Court. At the Law Center, our work focuses on building an inclusive and democratic grassroots social ecosystem by supporting land and housing justice and solidarity economy movements.

Oakland is unceded Xučyun Ohlone territory, where the double helix of colonialism and capitalism has resulted in genocide, erasure, and displacement of the Ohlone people. We cannot discuss the ongoing war on the unhoused without situating it within this undisputed historical fact. The swift bloodshed by guns has been replaced by the slow-death caused by judicial decisions and executive orders, all in the name of legitimating land theft and protecting private property. It is this state protection of private property as a commodity to be held by individuals, speculated, and sold or traded for profit that is at the heart of the government-manufactured housing crisis and the current wave of aggressive criminalization of unhoused peoples.

Governor Newsom’s order urges municipalities to follow the cruel directive of the Grants Pass decision: citing and arresting unhoused people for living without a roof, even in the absence of adequate shelter or housing. Mayor Thao referred to Governor Newsom’s order as a “step forward in the right direction.” Since the executive order, the City of Oakland, Oakland Police Department (OPD), and CalTrans have aggressively swept encampments at or around Toll Plaza Beach, Lake Merritt, Union Point Park, Mosswood Park, Beach Street, 15th Ave., West Grand Ave. and Mandela Parkway, MLK and Telegraph, International Boulevard, San Leandro Street, and Wood Street.

Even before the Grants Pass decision, Mayor Thao celebrated the violent sweep of Wood Street residents a year ago by stating, “Since taking office, we cleared the largest encampments in Northern California, and that is Wood Street.”

What happened to the residents of Wood Street? To this day, there has been no accountability by the City of Oakland, OPD, and CalTrans for the police brutality, violent intervention, and displacement of Wood Street residents. “Clearing encampments” is a systematic method to displace and dispossess unhoused people. This is a delusion masquerading as policy—the belief that the ever-growing problem of homelessness can be solved by confiscating the few possessions of the unhoused, dismantling their shelters, and driving them further down the road. It is a simplistic and inhumane approach that intentionally scapegoats houseless people for their own houselessness while ignoring the structural realities of poverty and displacement that are a direct consequence of a speculation-driven housing market and decades of predatory, developer-friendly housing policy. In the face of institutional neglect, Wood Street Commons continues to organize and support their unhoused community to this day.

The intransigent incompetence of city and state government officials in addressing the housing crisis is magnified by skyrocketing rent hikes, insufficient minimum wage hikes, under- and unemployment, and a yawning lack of dignified social housing and services. Instead of engaging with communities directly impacted by homelessness, like the residents of Wood Street and People’s Park, and collaborating with housing justice organizations such as POOR Magazine and ACCE Action, these officials perpetuate a cycle of suffering and instability—a cycle that is not only preventable, but also manufactured by developer-friendly housing policies which have enriched developers and failed to provide permanently affordable housing for decades. These housing policies are the intertwined legacies of capitalism and colonialism.

One-size-fits-all solutions, such as compact, cabin shelters often put unhoused people further at risk by policing and monitoring every aspect of their lives, and requiring relinquishment of personal possessions as a condition to stay. This ill-conceived approach threatens to create further public health crises, as inadequate housing exacerbates mental health issues, spreads communicable diseases due to unsanitary conditions, and leads to increased morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations. This leaves us to question how we can trust our government officials to handle the impending climate crisis, which surely includes even greater displacement, and untold numbers of climate migrants, when they are already so disastrously failing our unhoused communities.

We demand accountability for our displaced and unhoused neighbors. We stand in solidarity with the demands of Wood Street Commons and call upon the City of Oakland and Governor Newsom to:

• • Stop the Sweeps: Encampment evictions are not a solution to homelessness.
  • Rescind and Reverse Executive Order N-1-24. 
  • A Proclamation by the City of Oakland to reject Executive Order N-1-24 and refuse to follow the Grants Pass decision.
  • End the Criminalization of Homelessness: Fight poverty, not the poor. Stop arresting people for the crime of being poor or homeless.
  • Accommodations Now! There are over 30,000 vacant housing units in Alameda County, yet roughly 10,000 people are homeless. Use eminent domain or other means to house people immediately.
  • Use Public Land for Public Good: Utilize the north gateway parcel of the old army base and the three CalTrans-owned lots near Wood Street to create a self-governed community for low-income and unhoused residents.
  • Utilities and Services Now: Every person needs access to clean water, electricity, and trash services, especially those struggling to survive while homeless.
  • Stop Blaming the Poor for Illegal Dumping: The homeless are wrongfully blamed for the actions of individuals, businesses, and governments that illegally dump trash near their communities. This must end.
  • Decommodify Housing: Ban all speculative land grabs by for-profit entities.
  • Demand Permanent and Dignified Housing for All.