‘Where are they supposed to go?’ Protesters pitch tents outside Oakland City Hall

Activists and homeless residents pitched tents outside Oakland City Hall on Tuesday to protest the recent displacement of several hundred people from the city’s largest encampment, and to demand the city give them somewhere to go.

Caltrans this month finished clearing a massive, years-old camp of between 200 and 300 people on vacant land off Wood Street in West Oakland, and the city has struggled to provide housing or shelter for everyone who lived there. Displaced residents who moved onto another empty lot ended up in a clash with Caltrans and law enforcement last week, resulting in a handful of arrests. Others have moved onto city streets, prompting complaints from neighbors.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council is set to discuss alternative short-term housing options for former Wood Street residents — including allocating up to $180,000 to start readying the old Army base in West Oakland for temporary housing, an undertaking that could take more than a year. Protesters, many of whom later called into the City Council meeting, urged council members to pursue the Army base while also opening up more immediate solutions.

“Don’t evict people without places to send them,” said 48-year-old LaMonte Ford, who lives in a make-shift shelter he built himself on a vacant lot near the former Caltrans encampment. “I mean, how could you? Where are they supposed to go?”

That sentiment was echoed in a “Where do we go?” sign draped across two of the eight tents set up in Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall. Several dozen protesters gathered, some holding signs with messages such as “houses not sweeps,” while other activists manned a table of donuts and coffee. They planned to take down the tents before the end of the day.

The City Council on Tuesday was set to discuss next steps to open part of the defunct West Oakland Army base as temporary homeless housing, despite pushback from the city administrator, who says the lot is not safe or practical. The lot has potentially hazardous toxins in the soil and is tied up in bureaucratic red tape, according to City Administrator Edward Reiskin.

All of the roughly 200 people displaced were offered shelter options, and 92 accepted, according to a memo Reiskin wrote to the council. But activists say some people fell through the cracks and weren’t contacted about shelter, while others were offered placements that didn’t meet their needs — places that wouldn’t let them bring their pets, for example.

Many people have moved from Wood Street into the surrounding streets and nearby parks.

“As Wood Street residents move to other locations in the city, we are seeing a significant impact on residential and commercial areas,” Reiskin wrote. People from Wood Street also have filled much of the city’s available shelter, forcing the city to scale back other encampment closures until beds reopen.

The city plans to open between 50 and 100 rudimentary tiny homes for unhoused people on Wood, but they may not be ready until January 2023. In the meantime, the city is talking to Caltrans about potentially opening two new safe RV parking sites on the state agency’s properties off Mandela Parkway.

Kellie Castillo, 60, lived on Wood Street for three years. She had a tiny home built by volunteers on the Caltrans lot, which had insulation and windows, and was painted green. When Caltrans tore it down in April, Castillo said, she moved into a friend’s RV. When Caltrans made them move the RV, Castillo and her friend, along with several other displaced residents, moved onto another vacant Caltrans-owned lot on 34th Street and Mandela Parkway.

Last week, dozens of Caltrans and California Highway Patrol officers descended on the 34th Street maintenance lot intending to remove people who it said illegally entered the site following a break-in. Four people who tried to stop the sweep were arrested, cited and released without booking on misdemeanor charges of trespassing on state property and refusing to obey the orders of a peace officer.

For now, Castillo and about four other people are being allowed to park their RVs on another nearby vacant lot on Beach Street, which is owned by Caltrans and leased by the city. Only people with RVs are allowed to stay there, meaning many people displaced from Wood Street aren’t eligible, Castillo said. And she isn’t sure how long she can stay there.

The constant bouncing around forced Castillo to quit her jobs — she used to clean houses during the day and restock inventory at various retail stores at night — and she’s looking into applying for unemployment.

“I’m pissed,” Castillo said. “I’m upset. I’m very angry. Some laws have to be changed.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.