Oakland Sweeps Beach Encampment Where Unhoused Residents Sued to Stay Put

The city of Oakland on Tuesday began to sweep a small community of unhoused people who call a tiny beach near the Bay Bridge home, according to an attorney representing the residents in a federal lawsuit.

Most of the 12 residents of the Interstate 80 toll plaza camp, many of whom have disabilities, plan to stick together as they move on to another roadside about three miles away.

“A lot of them are very sad,” said Andrea Henson, an attorney for the encampment residents who visited Tuesday morning as homeless advocates arrived with UHauls and police stood by to oversee the city sweep. “They’re scared, of course. They’re concerned about their safety, especially the women who have children. They were very happy that the community decided to stay together because they do provide protection and assistance to one another that, had they been isolated, they wouldn’t have.”

Oakland officials moved to evict the community after two years of complaints from the San Francisco Boardsailing Association, which blamed the camp for car break-ins, increased trash and direct sewage runoff.

Residents of the encampment said the city has not offered them appropriate shelter as it has sought to clear them from the beach. Their court case was seen as an early test of last month’s Supreme Court ruling that discarded a key legal precedent that fining or jailing people for public camping when there isn’t enough shelter available amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. That decision could embolden cities to step up policing of encampments.

The Oakland residents staved off their eviction in court twice but eventually lost their bid to stay this month. Their lawsuit alleging that the city is violating their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act is still pending.

Only three of the residents were still considering a city offer for shelter, Henson said, adding that the rest of the dozen individuals were not offered adequate accommodations. They include a man living with AIDS and a son caring for his father with severe dementia.

“If you have dementia, to go into a space that’s not managed right, or if you have AIDS, to go into a congregate setting … that could be a death sentence,” she said.

Henson pointed to a family with three teenage children who were told to move to Richmond.

“One of the moms is a disabled army veteran; she has a service disability. And then the other mom takes the children to school each day in San Francisco. They were told to go to Richmond,” Henson said, “but the only stable thing in these children’s lives is that school in San Francisco.”

Earlier this month, in reference to city efforts to shelter those displaced in the case, Deputy City Attorney Jamilah Jefferson said Oakland “is under no obligation to fundamentally alter its programs to address the needs of all individuals.”

A spokesman for the city of Oakland did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday’s sweep.