East Oakland disabled seniors riding wheelchairs in the street due to blight

Blight on Oakland street forcing disabled seniors off the sidewalks

Disabled residents living in a nearby senior living facility said East Bay Transit has a hard time picking them up because of the growing dump.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A group of disabled seniors in East Oakland said they’re forced to ride their wheelchairs into the street because of an encampment obstructing the sidewalk.

Cathy Harris, Shaaron Green-Peace, and Rose Luster-Brooks live in a senior living facility off of International Blvd at 105th Ave and get around in motorized wheelchairs.

They said the encampment, and the trash that’s building up around it, is getting in the way of their independence and putting their safety at risk.

What they're saying:

"It’s not safe, it’s not safe at all," said Harris.

"We have to ride in the street as if we’re cars. It's unsafe," said Luster-Brooks.

They said it’s not entirely the homeless making the mess, because it’s become an illegal dumping site.

"People are dumping, I mean anything you can find in the world right here on the corner," Luster-Brooks said.

No access to the sidewalk

As a result of the growing dump, the women said East Bay Paratransit has had a hard time gaining access. 

"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?’" said Luster-Brooks.

They said instead, the bus driver will pick them up at the next corner of the intersection, but that it doesn’t feel like a safe place to stop due to oncoming traffic.

'They don't care about us'

Luster-Brooks said for the better part of a year, they’ve called the city, the mayor’s office, and their city councilmember Ken Houston, but their requests for service have gone ignored.

"They say they’re for us. We voted for these people, and we’re not being recognized," Luster-Brooks said. "You go further in Piedmont, Dimond district, all of that’s fine, but what about us?

The other side:

City spokesperson Sean Maher confirmed the location has received regular requests for clean-ups and the city’s Encampment Management Team is aware of the site. 

Houston, who represents deep East Oakland, told KTVU the encampment has been removed twice but it keeps coming back.

"It’s on the radar and we’re going to come out, and these seniors should be protected," said Houston.

Under city policy, Public Works crews cannot remove personal property from an encampment, Maher said in an email. 

"We recognize the impacts of issues like this to public safety and public health, and will continue to work with our community and with our elected officials to advance solutions," Maher wrote in a statement.

He encouraged residents to continue calling 311 and raising their voices about their concerns so that the city can "use that data to drive our resources and operations."

What's next:

Houston told KTVU he plans to introduce an encampment abatement policy to city council in the next few weeks to address the holes in the current policy.

He also said he plans to attend the next community meeting to address the residents’ concerns.

Maher said the city’s Encampment Management Team is working on scheduling another sweep in the area. 

At the same time, the senior residents plan to attend the Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities meeting in mid-August to air their grievances to Mayor Barbara Lee.