Mar 16-Defend Oakland Renters At Oakland City Hall!

Op-Ed Piece By Critical Resistance

http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1761%257E2012982,00.html?search=filter

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Article Last Updated: Friday, March 12, 2004 - 3:45:28 AM PST

Eviction ordinance not the answer

DON'T look now, but your landlord might start looking a whole lot like Big Brother if City Councilmember Larry Reid gets his way Tuesday.

Reid wants to give Oakland police the power to force landlords to evict tenants who have been loosely identified as a "nuisance." The process of eviction may be initiated by the police, neighbors or landlords.

Why is any of this a problem? The Nuisance Eviction Ordinance is ripe for abuse, will increase homelessness, will tear apart families and will ultimately decrease the safety of our communities.

The NEO, as it's currently written, permits eviction without conviction -- and without an appeals process. With little due process, evictions could be initiated by a disgruntled neighbor or, in the case of landlords, for financial gain. Property rights advocates should be concerned that landlords would be forced to evict their tenants based on mere hearsay from the police or other neighbors.

Homelessness will increase under this ordinance. Once tenants are evicted, many will have no place to go. Existing policies already bar individuals with drug convictions from public housing.

With basic housing options no longer available, where does Reid expect those evicted to go and what will the city do to meet the needs of the newly homeless?

The ordinance allows individual members of a family to be evicted if accused of a crime. Youths who are evicted will be left without physical shelter and will be separated from the emotional support of their families, putting these children at even greater risk.

This ordinance ensures that more targeted youth will have no place to go other than juvenile detention centers such as the infamous California Youth Authority. Spouses, siblings and parents could also be separated from their families under this ordinance.

Most importantly, this ordinance does not truly address safety issues, but rather promises to further disrupt our communities. We agree that our community has entrenched problems, however, the Nuisance Eviction Ordinance will not make us safer. Real safety comes with job opportunities, decent education, health services and drug treatment, not with increased criminalization, shattered families and homelessness.

We call on the Oakland City Council to vote against the flawed and dangerous Nuisance Eviction Ordinance on March 16, and to put its energy to working toward real solutions to Oakland's problems -- those of employment opportunities, education, drug treatment centers, job training centers, and stable housing for all.

Vivian Lee is a member of Critical Resistance Oakland, and an Oakland resident. Sitara Nieves is the Bay Area organizer for Critical Resistance Oakland.

Send Your Message To Oakland City Officials To Say No To The NEO!

OfficeOfTheMayor [at] oaklandnet.com, nnadel [at] oaklandnet.com, tnhu [at] oaklandnet.com, jrusso [at] oaklandnet.com, dbrooks [at] oaklandnet.com, Jquan [at] oaklandnet.com, changochang [at] oaklandnet.com, idelafuente [at] oaklandnet.com, lreid [at] oaklandnet.com, jbrunner [at] oaklandnet.com, dwan [at] oaklandnet.com