Displaced homeless RV dwellers converge on Oakland residential neighborhood
OAKLAND -- Antoinette Millard was moving out of her apartment in Oakland's Fruitvale District on Sunday after living there for three years. She and a friend were loading all her household items into a U-Haul van.
Her apartment on the corner of East 9th Street and 34th Avenue is located right next to a line of RVs parked on the street. She said she can't deal with it anymore due to too much noise and trash.
"They stay up all through the night. I don't know what they're doing in the trailer but it's bothering me -- mentally and physically," Millard said.
She was not alone. Her neighbor just gave a 30-day move-out notice to their landlord Francis Wong.
"Antoinette, when she was giving me the 30-day notice I said I'd lower her rent. She still said 'No, can't do.' My tenants are giving me 30-day notice one after another," Wong said.
Neighbors said it started out with a few RV dwellers parked on East 9th Street about two years ago and slowly grew over time.
Earlier this month, the city cleared out all the RVs parked near the High Street Home Depot on Alameda Ave. Workers put in concrete blocks and K-rail barriers to prevent vehicle dwellers from returning.
Residents said many of the unhoused people moved their RVs to neighboring streets. Some of them moved to East 9th Street.
"We have one-third more RV people (than before the Alameda Avenue clearing)," Wong said.
Neighbors and business owners also noticed more chopped vehicles and drug dealing on the street.
"New clients of mine won't even stop. They won't even park. I've had people say 'I'm not parking in front of your building,'" said Randy Scalzitti, who owns a dog service business on East 9th Street. "I mean it's crazy. I'm afraid and angry."
Neighbor Rafael Barajas, who has three children, said a homeless man dropped his pants in front of his mother-in-law. He worries about sex offenders and his family's safety.
"We're actually being held hostage by this encampment. We're on the very front lines," Barajas said.
Don Williams, who is unhoused, blamed a few bad actors for causing problems for everyone.
"These homeless people here, these guys right here don't bother nobody," Williams said. "They probably work all their lives and lost their jobs."
As for Millard, she's glad she's out of the neighborhood.
"It's time for me to go," Millard said, as she drove away in the U-Haul van.
The city posted flyers to alert unhoused people they will be cleaning the site from Nov. 7 to 9 but nearby residents said they want more than cleaning. They want the RV dwellers to move.