Dem-run city that's so squalid terrified seniors now have to ride their wheelchairs on busy STREETS
By James Cirrone
Daily Mail
Aug 1, 2025
Barbara lee was elected mayor of Oakland in April A trio of terrified disabled seniors say
the sidewalks in their Oakland neighborhood are so squalid that they're
being forced to dice with death and ride their wheelchairs on the main
road.
Cathy Harris, Shaaron Green-Peace
and Rose Luster-Brooks all use motorized wheelchairs and live at a
senior living facility off International Boulevard at 105th Avenue.
They all told KTVU that the sheer amount of garbage is making it impossible for them to get around safely in their own community.
'We have to ride in the street as if we’re cars. It's unsafe,' Luster-Brooks said.
And they claim it's not all down to the homeless
people in the area. They say that since the trash heap has grown so
much, even regular passers by have been casually contributing to it.
'People are dumping, I mean everything in the world you can find right here on this corner,' Luster-Brooks said.
The
women have said that the garbage has even stopped them from being able
to use a bus with East Bay Paratransit, a transportation method funded
by the city that specifically serves disabled residents.
Pictured:
Disabled residents of a senior living community in Oakland ride through
the street, against traffic, because the sidewalk is full of trash
Pictured: The encampment blocks the entire sidewalk making it impossible for them to get around
Rose
Luster-Brooks said this has been going on for around a year and there
has not been a permanent solution despite repeated calls to city
authorities 'They no longer can pick us up there. A
couple of them have tried and we’re like, "how are you going to let us
out in this trash?"' Luster-Brooks said.
The
bus driver now picks them up at the next corner of the intersection,
which the women said is riddled with oncoming traffic and isn't as safe.
Luster-Brooks
said this has been going on for around a year and in that time, they've
called the city, the mayor's office and their city councilmember Ken
Houston.
None of their requests for help have been answered, they said.
'They
say they’re for us. We voted for these people, and we’re not being
recognized,' Luster-Brooks said. 'You go further into Piedmont, Dimond
District, all of that’s fine, but what about us?'
City
spokesperson Sean Maher confirmed to KTVU that the location has
received repeated requests from constituents for clean-ups and that
Oakland's Encampment Management Team is aware of the site.
Houston, who represents deep East Oakland in the city council, said the encampment has been removed twice but keeps returning.
'It’s
on the radar and we’re going to come out, and these seniors should be
protected,' Houston said in front of the pile of trash.
The
number of homeless people in Oakland has jumped nearly 18 percent since
2019. The problem has gotten so bad that gigantic shantytowns have
formed in certain parts of the city
Oakland is also prone to crime sprees, with residents growing quite accustomed to chaotic smash-and-grab robberies (pictured)
One
thing that could be hamstringing cleanup crews is that they're
generally not allowed to remove people's personal property from
encampments under city policy, Maher said.
According
to a regulation passed in 2020 by the city council, employees tasked
with 'deep cleaning' encampments must 'make reasonable efforts to
mitigate any individual or group property loss.'
They're
allowed to clean up 'debris, trash, waste, illegal dumping, hazmat' and
other items, but any personal property they come across that doesn't
appear abandoned needs to be stored.
'The
City will make reasonable efforts to store up to one (1) square yard of
such property per individual,' the regulation states.
Oakland
had the eighth largest homeless population of all major cities in the
US last year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
The number of homeless
people in Oakland has jumped nearly 18 percent since 2019, before the
COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem in most US cities.
The problem has gotten so bad that gigantic shantytowns have formed in certain parts of the city.
Oakland is also prone to crime sprees, with residents growing quite accustomed to chaotic smash-and-grab robberies.
The
city also has a high rate of car theft, with a civil grand jury
recently finding that 9,400 vehicles were reported stolen in 2024.
A trio of terrified disabled seniors say the sidewalks in their Oakland neighborhood are so squalid that they're being forced to dice with death and ride their wheelchairs on the main road.
Cathy Harris, Shaaron Green-Peace and Rose Luster-Brooks all use motorized wheelchairs and live at a senior living facility off International Boulevard at 105th Avenue.
They all told KTVU that the sheer amount of garbage is making it impossible for them to get around safely in their own community.
'We have to ride in the street as if we’re cars. It's unsafe,' Luster-Brooks said.
And they claim it's not all down to the homeless people in the area. They say that since the trash heap has grown so much, even regular passers by have been casually contributing to it.
'People are dumping, I mean everything in the world you can find right here on this corner,' Luster-Brooks said.
The women have said that the garbage has even stopped them from being able to use a bus with East Bay Paratransit, a transportation method funded by the city that specifically serves disabled residents.
Pictured: Disabled residents of a senior living community in Oakland ride through the street, against traffic, because the sidewalk is full of trash
Pictured: The encampment blocks the entire sidewalk making it impossible for them to get around
'They no longer can pick us up there. A couple of them have tried and we’re like, "how are you going to let us out in this trash?"' Luster-Brooks said.
The bus driver now picks them up at the next corner of the intersection, which the women said is riddled with oncoming traffic and isn't as safe.
Luster-Brooks said this has been going on for around a year and in that time, they've called the city, the mayor's office and their city councilmember Ken Houston.
None of their requests for help have been answered, they said.
'They say they’re for us. We voted for these people, and we’re not being recognized,' Luster-Brooks said. 'You go further into Piedmont, Dimond District, all of that’s fine, but what about us?'
City spokesperson Sean Maher confirmed to KTVU that the location has received repeated requests from constituents for clean-ups and that Oakland's Encampment Management Team is aware of the site.
Houston, who represents deep East Oakland in the city council, said the encampment has been removed twice but keeps returning.
'It’s on the radar and we’re going to come out, and these seniors should be protected,' Houston said in front of the pile of trash.
The number of homeless people in Oakland has jumped nearly 18 percent since 2019. The problem has gotten so bad that gigantic shantytowns have formed in certain parts of the city
Oakland is also prone to crime sprees, with residents growing quite accustomed to chaotic smash-and-grab robberies (pictured)
One thing that could be hamstringing cleanup crews is that they're generally not allowed to remove people's personal property from encampments under city policy, Maher said.
According to a regulation passed in 2020 by the city council, employees tasked with 'deep cleaning' encampments must 'make reasonable efforts to mitigate any individual or group property loss.'
They're allowed to clean up 'debris, trash, waste, illegal dumping, hazmat' and other items, but any personal property they come across that doesn't appear abandoned needs to be stored.
'The City will make reasonable efforts to store up to one (1) square yard of such property per individual,' the regulation states.
Oakland had the eighth largest homeless population of all major cities in the US last year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The number of homeless people in Oakland has jumped nearly 18 percent since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem in most US cities.
The problem has gotten so bad that gigantic shantytowns have formed in certain parts of the city.
Oakland is also prone to crime sprees, with residents growing quite accustomed to chaotic smash-and-grab robberies.
The city also has a high rate of car theft, with a civil grand jury recently finding that 9,400 vehicles were reported stolen in 2024.
3 comments:
I was born in Oakland. It used to be a good, solid blue-collar community where an ordinary joe could get a decent education and a solid, blue-collar job with which he could support a family. It is now a third-world shit hole. If you fly into Oakland and rent a car they tell you "For god sake don't stop for ANYTHING in Oakland. Don't even stop to buy gas there."
A couple of dump trucks and bulldozers would take care of that mess.
And it would be back in three days. Maybe two.
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