To: Oakland City Council

We, the undersigned Oakland residents, organizations, and businesses urge the Oakland City Council to adopt an Encampment Management Policy based on evidence and human rights principles. We further call on the City Council to reject any proposal, including the proposed Encampment Abatement Policy, which aligns City policy with the Trump agenda by prioritizing the removal and criminalization of people experiencing homelessness. The proposal to allow the City to tow inhabited vehicles without notice, cite their inhabitants, and evict people living on sidewalks without notice, would result only in more people living on sidewalks in deeper instability.

Research shows Oakland’s encampment sweeps harm both housed and unhoused residents. Oakland has an historic budget deficit, yet sweeps waste over $1,500 an hour while making it  harder for unhoused Oakland residents to exit homelessness by isolating them from services and destroying documents vital for attaining employment and housing. Sweeps kill: they destroy life-saving medications and medical devices, worsening chronic conditions. They push residents into more dangerous and secluded areas, limiting their access to medical care. And by reinforcing distrust of authorities, sweeps discourage unhoused residents from seeking help, making them more vulnerable to violence. Sweeps violate constitutional and human rights– the UN special rapporteur condemned Oakland in 2018 for denying basic necessities such as sanitation, water, and safety to encampment residents. With thousands of residents at risk of losing their homes due to federal housing cuts, we need Oakland to invest in solutions, not criminalization. 

Sign this petition to demand that the City Council implement these real solutions:

1. Reject the proposed Encampment Abatement Policy
2. Adopt an evidence-based public health and human rights approach that treats unhoused residents as equal partners through participatory, community-engaged practices.
3. Open safe, sanctioned communities with safe parking, sanitation, healthcare, housing navigation, and case management so our unhoused relatives don’t have to live on streets and sidewalks.
4. Unite housed and unhoused Oakland residents for community beautification through cleanups and continued garbage disposal services.
5. Center people with lived experience in shelter and housing program design and oversight, and compensate them for their time and expertise.

United, we can build a city that values every life by investing in solutions that save lives, confront racial and class oppression, and uplift our most vulnerable neighbors. Directing resources toward initiatives like equitable, affordable housing, healthcare, and community based policies, we can dismantle systemic barriers to create healthier, more resilient communities rooted in dignity, justice, and human rights.

This petition was created by the Housing & Dignity Project: a collaborative of people and organizations committed to establishing a pipeline of homelessness services and safe living spaces in Oakland, based on human rights principles and the lived experience of people who have been unhoused. We were convened by Allen Temple Baptist Church and the Brotherhood of Elders to work long-term on solutions to end homelessness. The Collaborative includes The Village, Wood Street Commons, Just Cities Institute, The East Oakland Collective, ROOTS Community Health Clinic, Cardea Health, Love & Justice in the Streets, business professionals and social justice advocates.