Neighbors of vacant lot in Oakland's Fruitvale fed up over fires, trash
Complaints against a large vacant lot in Oakland's Fruitvale District are mounting, just like the mountains of trash that are piling up there.
The lot is located at 2783 E 12th St, right next to the busy intersection of E 12th St and 29th Ave. Neighbors said the homeless have taken over the property.
They said the trash has been piling up there for the last two years. But it's gotten significantly worse in recent months, where it's become inaccessible due to the amount of trash.
"There's one, two, three, four schools in the vicinity of this trash pile, and no one cares. This is supposed to be normal for us," complained Diosa Diaz, a social worker and educator at International Community School, bettern known as ICS Elementary.
There are roughly 1,000 kids who attend the four schools and a nearby childcare center. The four schools are ICS, Think College Now (TCN Elementary), Latitude High School, and Lazear Charter Academy.
"I feel extremely angry every single day that I drive by this," Diaz told CBS News Bay Area. "We have children that walk pass here every day to come to school."
Diaz and the other schools told CBS News Bay Area they have had to go on lock downs because of large fires and police activity at the vacant lot.
The Oakland Fire Department put out multiple fires at the property in recent years. Firefighters said a large fire, likely started by the homeless, destroyed one of the two buildings at the property in October 2023.
They said people are living in the one building that's still standing.
"I've gotten notifications the school is on lockdown for X, Y reasons, so it's concerning," Karina Flores, a parent, told CBS News Bay Area.
Flores said she's always worried about her kid's safety. Her 5-year-old daughter attends ICS and her 3-year-old twin boys go to the childcare center next door.
"Me or my mom personally pick them up after (school each day), get in the car, and leave," said Flores.
Educators and parents said the mountains of trash left in the lot are a reflection of what's happening on East 12th Street. There are multiple large encampments in this one mile stretch between 29th Ave and 14th Ave.
Diaz said in a recent safety meeting between the school officials and the city officials, the city said because it's a private lot, they can't do anything about it.
"It's scary. I feel like we teach and we support children in an apocalyptic society," said Diaz.
Over the phone, the property owner told CBS News Bay Area he's in a court battle with his lender. He said the Alameda County Superior Court and the U.S. District Court in San Francisco placed an injunction to prevent him from entering or managing the lot.
He could not send the court documents to CBS News Bay Area by press time for review. But he said he, too, is angry and frustrated by the situation.
The owner said the legal dispute has dragged on for several years.
In the meantime, students and educators like Diaz are dealing with the consequences.
"I know (the city is) doing their darndest, but they need to do better," said Diaz.
CBS News Bay Area contacted the city on Friday morning, but did not hear back from them by press time. We wanted to ask why not clean the property up first and send the bill to the property owner like they routinely do for blighted properties.
While the legal dispute between the owner and the lender makes it more complicated, neighbors said the city has to do something about the mess with no resolution in sight.
