Oakland city crews complete 1st phase of encampment cleanup on MLK Way

OAKLAND - The city of Oakland has completed the first phase of removing another longstanding homeless encampment on Martin Luther King Jr Way.

The city is closing the campsite after city officials say there has been an elevated level of crime in the area.

Matt Butler lives in an RV on Brush Street a few blocks from the first cleanup. He doesn't know how much longer he will be able to live in the place he calls home.

"It makes you feel a sense of doubt and hopelessness," Butler said about possibly being moved out. "That would put me in displacement somewhere and I don't want to be around a bunch of people that are disrupted like this."

City crews are expected to continue cleaning up the area on and around MLK Jr Way between 20th and 25th streets in west Oakland.

The city is relocating some people to the community cabin program or the medical respite program but Butler says sometimes those programs don't help.

"Not really. They promise you a lot but they don't do much, they really don't," Butler said.

So far, 40 tons of large debris has been removed by public works. The Beautifciation Council, a non-profit, is coming in to clean up the rest.

Hans Niusulu was out early Saturday morning putting on the finishing touches but he expects to be back.

"Oakland has a big problem with garbage right now so our job is just trying to clean it up but, everyday we clean up, more garbage on the street," Niusulu said.

For now, Bonnie Griffith is grateful the area is cleaner and some fences have been reinforced to prevent people from moving back. She lives nearby and walks here every day. She says that, before, tents covered the sidewalks.

"Extremely dangerous," Griffith said. "It left the pedestrians with no place to walk but the streets."

She questions if the people who were moved out are safer now.

"I'm not happy thinking 'Where did these people go?" she said. "Where are they going to sleep tonight?"

Butler shares her sentiment and fears for his own future.

"it's just an ugly thing," Butler said. "It's an inconvenience. It's also mentally traumatic."

Oakland city staff posted notices of the encampment closure about a week in advance.

They say they have outreach managers continuing to work with encampment residents to provide supportive services that will prevent them from ending up back on the street.