The Brief
- The encampment, located at the corner of 54th Avenue and East 12th Street in the Melrose neighborhood, sits just one block away from Bridges Academy.
- “The homeless encampment is getting worse by the day,” said Mariaelena Ruiz, who works nearby at Andes Construction.
- Ruiz said community members have repeatedly called 311 to report the public health and safety hazard. While the city has cleaned up the area in the past, residents say they are not receiving the same response this time.
OAKLAND, Calif. – Residents in East Oakland say they are fed up with persistent blight and a growing homeless encampment that they say is putting local school children in danger.
The encampment, located at the corner of 54th Avenue and East 12th Street in the Melrose neighborhood, sits just one block away from Bridges Academy. Since April, neighbors and local workers say they have seen school children and parents forced to bypass blocked sidewalks by walking directly into the street, risking being struck by oncoming traffic.
East Oakland homeless encampment
Local perspective:
“The homeless encampment is getting worse by the day,” said Mariaelena Ruiz, who works nearby at Andes Construction. “We have seen the kids and the parents walking around them on the street because the sidewalks are blocked.”…