Editor’s note: We’re republishing some of our best reads of 2025. This must-read by our housing reporter, Natalie Orenstein, delighted readers while getting at deeper truths about housing insecurity in the Bay Area. Some readers debated whether Oakland’s tenant protection laws need revisiting, while others deplored an industry preying on the vulnerable. One called it “one of the best articles I have ever read.” This story originally appeared in September.
“The average squatter,” says James Jacobs, “has no melee experience.”
No familiarity with katana swords or other bladed weaponry. No training in kendo, iaido, or other martial arts…