This piece is by the people of Acorn for the people of Acorn and other poor and working-class people who find themselves being exploited by federal, state and local institutions. By any means necessary, we will be heard! By any means necessary, we will be free!
Tenants and working class people of the world will be familiar with our cause because there is a common thread we are all experiencing: exploitation at the hands of the 1%, who are committed to putting profit over The People! We are here to correct this wrong and put the power where it rightfully belongs – in the hands of the masses!
A look at the current terrain
“Acorn” refers to the Town Center and Courtyards low-income housing units between 8th and 10th and Filbert and Union in West Oakland. While Acorn currently houses working-class multi-racial tenants, it has historically been home to a dense population of Black people. At one point, 80-90% of the 900 available units were occupied by Black families.
West Oakland has, historically, faced intentional divestment through policies like redlining, leading to food apartheid, hazardous environmental conditions and over-policing. Presently in Acorn, this materializes in shutting down recreation centers, eliminating wage-fair skilled jobs, uninhabitable living conditions, and exacerbating health issues due to environmental factors, as evident through the high number of asthma hospitalizations in West Oakland, which is 85% higher than the rest of Alameda County. .
We believe one of the main reasons this is happening in West Oakland is because city officials are consistently focused on re-election and are selling out the community to profit-centered organizations and companies. Community members are consistently fighting for better conditions, but the rising cost of living and deteriorating circumstances are driving many working-class residents to leave…