https://hotair.com/archives/john-s-2/2019/11/07/oakland-cleans-250-tons-trash-homeless-camp-least-50-tons-go/Oakland Cleans 250 Tons Of Trash From Homeless Camp But Still Won’t Close ItA massive homeless camp which has been growing for years outside a Home Depot in Oakland, CA is being cleared out by the city, though current residents won’t have to leave quite yet. The San Francisco Chronicle reports city crews have already pulled 250 tons of garbage from the site but there’s a lot more left to do:
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One of the major concerns with that much garbage, including lots of RVs and abandoned vehicles, is the risk of fire. The Chronicle reports there have been 158 fires connected to homeless camps in Oakland this year. And this site was a disaster waiting to happen:
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Two other things you’ll notice in this report. First, one of the homeless women living in the camp says most of her neighbors are using meth every night. You can bet that because they want to keep using meth, they won’t accept offers of alternative shelter. Second, the city’s inability to do anything about the camp is connected to the same Boise lawsuit which resulted in a decision saying the homeless can’t be moved off the street unless they are offered an alternative place to sleep.
This Home Depot location is right adjacent to I-880 freeway. Nearby and easily accessible are a McDonalds and a 24 Hour Fitness gym (for the more functional homeless people, they can pay ~$30 a month and have access to restrooms and showers, as well as fitness equipment).
Other than, possibly, fire concerns, I suspect Home Depot arm-twisted the City of Oakland into taking this action. There's also a gymnastics gym a block or two from the encampment, so there probably are some parents who don't mind this encampment having been cleared, even if temporarily.
