92 year old Oakland woman faces eviction by wealthy Danville man

92 year old Oakland woman faces eviction by wealthy Danville man

By Lynda Carson -- October 30, 2011

Oakland -- At 92 years of age, Katherine Smith of 993 54th St., is a frail elderly woman who lives alone in north Oakland, in a house that currently does not have any hot water. The frail elderly woman is struggling against an eviction by a wealthy Danville man named Robert Rasheed, who is trying to evict her from her long time home, onto the cold mean streets of Oakland.

The eviction case involving Katherine Smith goes to trial in a few weeks, and she is being defended by the Eviction Defense Center of Oakland. According to the Eviction Defense Center, Katherine Smith is facing eviction by Robert Rasheed, after he accused her of having a caregiver, that is an unauthorized occupant where she lives.

As for Robert Rasheed, he has hired an attorney named Thomas Matthews, of Merrill, Nomura & Molineux, a law firm in Danville, to evict Katherine Smith from her long time home.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Katherine Smith said, "I am 92 years old, and have lived around here for nearly 50 years, but life is hard for me now ever since my husband passed away, and the house went into foreclosure. The house was bought by Robert Rasheed and his company Dover Investments, LLC. Since Rasheed has taken over, often there is no hot water anymore, and there was a period that there was no hot water for around 6 whole months, and now Rasheed wants to charge me to light the pilot light for the hot water heater, every time it goes out. I live in the bottom half of the house, and Rasheed has some students living above me now."

"I only have social security to live on, and can not possibly afford to pay Rasheed to light the pilot light every time it goes out, so that I can have hot water again. Rasheed wants to evict me, and he is making life very hard for me. This is the second time that he is trying to evict me, and now I am so worried that I can barely sleep at night any more. Already he has destroyed my garden, and removed a lot of my stuff from the garage that I need. At least my health is still good though I am a bit crippled, and thankfully my grandson stops by to help me out. But Rasheed keeps asking me if my grandson stays here, and Rasheed keeps telling me that no one can stay with me, to help me out as my caregiver. Now that I am 92, Rasheed knows that I need help to survive, and he keeps trying to make life very hard on me. I never believed that I would ever get this old. I do not want to be evicted, and I am very worried. I want to remain where I am at," said the frightened elderly woman.

According to public records, 993 54th St., in Oakland, was sold at a foreclosure auction for $257,400 on December 1, 2010, and during October 2010, it's assessed value was listed at $374,500. Additionally, SF.Blockshopper lists Dover Investment, LLC, as the new owner.

During the afternoon of October 29, 2011, Robert Rasheed of Dover Investments, LLC, in Danville, denied ever knowing a Katherine Smith at 993 54th St., in Oakland, and stated that he did not know what I was talking about when I asked him directly why he was evicting the frail elderly, frightened woman from her long time home.

Suddenly in a state of panic, Rasheed completely changed his story and stated, "We are not evicting her. I would not evict an old woman from her home. We are just trying to get a resolution. I think that you are harassing me. Please do not ever call me at my home again," said Rasheed.

According to a January 2010, New York Times article, though they are both living in the United States, Robert Rasheed and his wife Hanan of Danville, in Contra Costa County, are both Palestinians, born and raised in the West Bank, with one daughter on the Princeton women's basketball team, and another daughter with the Palestinian diplomatic corps at the United Nations.

Rochelle Owens of Oakland, is the grand daughter of Katherine Smith, and said, "Grandma was supposed to live in that house until she died, according to the wishes of her husband when he passed away. The house ended up with grandma's stepson after her husband passed away, and it was her grandson who lost the house in foreclosure, but grandma is still entitled to remain in the house. Robert Rasheed of Dover Investments, LLC, has been harassing my grandma ever since he bought the property, and this is the second time that he is trying to evict her. My grandma is very weak, very old, and can barely walk now. This is cruel. They threw out much of her stuff, destroyed her garden, and have been depriving her of hot water, as a way to force her out of her home. My grandma wants to stay at home, and needs her own space to stay in," said Ms. Owens.

The eviction case involving Katherine Smith goes to trial in a few weeks, and she is being defended by the Eviction Defense Center of Oakland.

Rochelle Owens may be reached at 510-692-5775.

The Eviction Defense Center may be reached at 510-452-4541

Robert Rasheed may be reached at 925-383-4567

Robert Rasheed's attorney Thomas Matthews may be reached at 925-833-1000

Lynda Carson may be reached at, tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com