Yes, this is a big problem that has been going on, and getting worse, for some time. The vehicles and other items sometimes partially block the roadway. When I drove by the other day, two stacks of tires were blocking the sidewalk near Fruitvale Avenue, and other junk blocks the sidewalk farther on.

Dr. Daryel Dunston says homeless people are exempted from these laws. And the laws will not be enforced. If you don’t like what you see, you should take it up with him. Our tax dollars are paying his salary of over 100k to get rid of the homeless, but if the homeless are all gone, what about his cushy job?

I saw a guy yesterday, he looked soooo doped out, walked into the traffic lane going towards Fruitvale bridge. He just stood there, looking towards the estuary, totally numbed out on opiates, unaware of the moving vehicles. Luckily the car behind me saw him as well, we both had to go well over the double yellow to avoid hitting him.

I mean, in the city’s legislation on homelessness, there are supposed to be provisions for dealing with the HARD substance abuse that occurs within many camps. Treatment options and inspections by mental health counselors to check for signs of drug abuse.

Criminal drug activity is still not to be tolerated. This is written in the city’s latest legislation on homeless encampments.

Vermin issues and trash are also not supposed to go unabated around camps.
I have seen a MASSIVE increase in rat populations, from alongside I-880 by Foodmaxx to the Bay Trail and Home Depot- rats everywhere. They have invaded the neighbors’ garden here and have been trying to move into our attic here too.

My father was contracted to do a job cleaning out a camp that was under a freeway- he said there were dozens of rats jumping away from the tractor as he pushed huge mounds of trash and loaded it into many 10-20 cu. yard dumpsters.

He also mentioned when he smashed through one sort of shack with the tractor, he saw that it was their “shooting gallery”, thousands upon thousands of used needles were inside and around that area!

Yep. And is it really a housing crisis? Bc there have been many instances where the homeless gets permanent housing just to end up back on the street, Bc they can’t or won’t pay rent, even though it’s section 8 (practically free), or low income. They just want this dope lifestyle that’s subsidized and incentivized by the state all on the taxpayer’s dime.

I just realized that Fruitvale Bridge Park is the ONLY city park close to our area (that’s not also in Alameda).

This is an outrage. This is a light industrial area, with lots of residential housing and new families. Certainly many more families here with children than when I was a kid.

Where is the justice for our parks? What happened to the children being first and foremost in our society?

They’ve trashed this and Union Point Park. Such a shame. I used to enjoy Union Point with my friends all the time. No longer...

Our neighborhood is surrounded by all this madness.

It strikes me that most of the homeless around the Home Depot have mental health issues, including drug addiction. Thus the antisocial hoarding of useless junk. I agree with others that these folks need to be put up in the many, many unoccupied apartments recently built by the rapacious developers. Either move into an apartment and get into treatment or leave town
But of course the current system refuses to interfere with investors' profits, and prefers to make us suffer from the outrageous behavior of these poor sick individuals

Yup. Lots of rats at the Home Depot and McDonald’s. Seen them burrowing in the drive thru. Needless to say we no longer go there.

Actually, it’s city of Oakland that have too many permits, fees and inspection costs just to develop in our city. The Bay Area has the lowest profit margin in real estate development because if these building and zoning laws and fees. And much slower to build Bc again the laws and inspections. So supply of housing is artificially created by these laws. The investors need to be assured that they will make a profit before investing, if not, it’s called a charity, not investment. a percentage fees and taxes from development goes to fund maintaining and building affordable housing. So in conclusion, more development equals to more affordable housing. More development will lower the overall general market rate price of housing. The less building and zoning laws, more likely more development will happen, Bc the profit margin will be higher. Win win for everybody if only people voted with the basic understanding of economics.

But all this basic understanding of economics won’t help homeless junkies from not being junkies.

And even if you give them a place to live on the cost of the tax payer, they will not be able to be accountable and responsible for it.

Please define "affordable" How much per month for a one bedroom apartment? I think you'll find that what's being built now all over Oakland, and tying up our public streets, is not affordable for working people. This building boom is driven by greedy, politically connected developers out to make a quick buck on the anticipation of high paid techies moving in to our town.
Basic economics: tax the rich and have the government build really affordable housing to the benefit of everybody. Socialism? Yeah...so what?

You think socialism is so great? How come that system always fails? You can’t make rich people pay. They are rich because they are smart. They will be able to find a way to keep their money. I guess you don’t understand basic economics and basic human behavior.

Think about it. Pretend that what you have now is considered the top 1%. Pretend that tax you want to place on the rich say..60%, have that 60% taken from you annually. You’re smart enough and not greedy enough to pay? Mind you, all your living expenses are taken care of.

And when I mean affordable, you have to think of supply and demand. The more supply available the lower the demand. When there is lower demand, the prices drop. That’s how basic economics work....

Also, the rich already pay 40% of all our taxes. So you want to raise it to 50%...hahaha the rich will just move. Like Elon Musk. And then we will be left with no rich people paying that 40%. California is becoming a failed state thanks to people like you who don’t know basic human behavior and basic economics

But all this time I put in to explain to you how things work won’t help. Socialism...😂 socialism is what is happening with these homeless people. They tax us, the poor (homeless) don’t have to pay a cent. They live freely, no work, no responsibilities. Uhhh...isn’t this exactly what the post is complaining about? Socialism in action?

Basically the free-rider problem, but on meth, crack and dope!

For sure ML 2.4

And measure q just passed last year, more money for “parks” and homeless. Now we have a 63% increase In homelessness. Math does not compute.