City of Oakland backed down from evicting the Houses and Dignity Village yesterday morning after dozens showed up to line the fence surrounding encampment, but today stormed the camp with 20 police at 1:15pm. One resident handcuffed for refusing to leave. 
Dozens of supporters out now, and @nlgsf green hats legal observing, but it was too late for the city's sneak attack.
.@LibbySchaaf and Joe DeVries ordered this. Almost a SWAT team encampment raid. Residents not even given time to pack their own belongings as in a "typical" eviction. All being tossed into a city trailer, except a very small handful of things residents allowed to pull out.
A resident of the Housing and Dignity Village and supporters have sat down in front of the gate, preventing DPW truck with people's possessions from leaving. @VillageOakland
Police moving in, but no hands on or arrests yet.
Upgrade, don't evict.
Women built this! Libby Schaaf and the city of oakland is tearing it down.
(Ful video of Andrea from the @EBCLCNews on Indybay later. )
(Ful video of Andrea from the @EBCLCNews on Indybay later. )
Fuck you, @LibbySchaaf. And to the police, think of this when you sit down to Christmas dinner. Resident and activist Needa Bee lays into city forces attacking her home.
Police have blocked off Edes Ave in both directions.
Andrea notes that went most people move, fragile items are packed carefully, furniture is draped in blankets, items are labeled. Here, Oakland just threw everything into a trailer together, things from kitchen, different residents, medical tent.
OPD is causing traffic jams. AC Transit bus can barely make detour turn. Took several minutes.
Two remain. Homelessness is not a crime.
Police make arrests. Contrary to recent claims made by city of Oakland in court, resisting encampment evictions is a criminal offense.
Two arrested so that Oakland could remove Housing and Dignity Village residents' possessions piled into an open air trailer.
Immediately thereafter, DPW is sent in with garbage truck to destroy everything remaining that these women have built. Crime scene tape is up.
Structures are coming down. @LibbySchaaf, Joe DeVries, and the city are really committed to flattening the village today at any cost. DPW, usually off by 5pm, getting overtime. Probably OPD overtime, too. Thousands homeless in Oakland, and city comes after women on abandoned lot.
Two arrestees cited and released on location. Have been in contact with the @nlgsf .
Everything except a few personal items residents who were present for the raid could quickly grab, and what was thrown into trailer by DPW, is being crushed in a garbage truck. Everything these women built over the last 30 days, gone.
City brings in a second garbage truck, 110% committed to fully destroying the village today, crushing any sense of autonomy unhoused folks might want to claim for themselves by creating a safe community.
Three Housing and Dignity Village residents have locked themselves inside of their house. OPD and DPW have made no attempt to get them out yet. Not sure if they know.
The city must know a woman is inside her home here. There's a window and a light source inside. Oakland just rolled into the otherwise abandoned lot with their own outdoor lights pulled behind a truck.
The faint sound of women singing can be heard from inside their home. The spotlight is on them.
Because the porto-potties the city sometimes provides encampments are usually gross and inadequately serviced, the women here, along with community volunteers, built a modern, environmentally-sound, and clean composting toilet system that the city is now destroying.
Civil right attorney Osha Neumann, from earlier in the day, on the city of Oakland's bad faith in working with the women of the village and seeking solutions for unhoused Oaklanders. Says city had a tantrum because their authority was threatened.
Police started to try to talk women out not long ago, then walked away. Large garbage truck is back. Councilmember Larry Reid aid just joked on phone they'd tear House down with women in it.
My name is Libby Schaaf pumpkin.
There goes the community kitchen.
A group of police just came, banged on door, shined light into window, and yelled things could not hear due to city lighting generator and beeps of trucks backing up. Police then left.
Disassembling second to last remaining shelter at the village. Well built and insulated, it kept otherwise unhoused women out of the cold and rain. Only other structure remaining is occupied by women refusing to leave.
The DPW supervisor here is the only white guy on the crew. He doesn't ever do anything but stand around and smoke cigarettes.
The city of Oakland staged this raid at 1pm when most of the residents were away at work, thinking their homes were safe because the city said it would negotiate with them over the village and possible alternate locations.
Tens of thousands to deploy this level of force today to show the city is in control? At least 7 police patrol cars, 1 unmarked OPD car, 1 city car, 2 garbage trucks, truck with trailer, dump truck, 2 pickup trucks, generator and lights on trailer, overtime for 10 DPW and 20 OPD
Police swarming around occupied home.
Police opened the door and have been trying to talk them out for 20 minutes. Most cops at back door now.
Police are removing two people, one in handcuffs, the other questioned outside of fence and released.
Third person removed in handcuffs.
Fourth person removed in handcuffs.
Third person handcuffed, lost released, shoved outside of fence very roughly, upsetting supporters present and raising tensions greatly. All released now. DPW will undoubtedly move in to smash final shelter shortly.
The city's legal defense of evictions relies on not making arrests, lest they risk violating basic civil rights outlined in Martin vs Boise decision that ruled against criminalizing homelessness. So, instead the city tosses people onto the streets and trashes their property.
Oakland spends tens of millions a year on unbudgeted police overtime. Here's 17 of them standing around, not criminalizing homelessness.
Oakland leaders would rather prove a point than allow unhoused women and their children to live in a safe community they built themselves. Last shelter going into garbage truck now. The city will have it's empty lot back.
