Albany Bulb Eviction Resisters Facing Repression

The Albany Bulb is a place that is too good to be true, and yet, there it sits in very true beauty. It looks across the San Francisco Bay through its wild plant life and painted surface past curved rebar and steel. The sun shines on its face–this old landfill which exists as a free space, a space where people and animals come to find some peace, some air. In the wake of the City of Albany’s decision to evict Bulb residents and to continue its war on poor people, residents and supporters have rallied together to defend this space. They have fought the eviction of residents on many levels and continue to fight even after most of the residents have left. Supporters and residents have defied the almost inevitable odds of keeping this space alive.

In the last few days, they have been faced with another inevitable reality. The repression of the City, its Police and its (in)justice system have begun to target residents and supporters. On the evening of Tuesday, May 27, a vocal supporter was arrested in the city of Albany and remains in custody. The repression continued when on Thursday May 29, 12 officers came in at four in the morning to roust two residents and one supporter.They arrested them and their animals and destroyed their home of seven years. The three were later released and the residents are now struggling to pick up the pieces of the place they have called home for so long, the place that was too good to be true. This malicious act was a reaction to growing resistance to the eviction of residents. It became clear that the city was targeting those who had shown resistance when police arrested another Bulb supporter who was also not on the Bulb at the time. That person remains in custody as well.

There are many almost inevitable stories. The story of repression is one of them, but the other almost inevitable story is that when a place is too good to be true, it is worth defending. And people who defend those places are worth supporting. Together we are stronger than the inevitable, we are greater than the impossible. The struggle to save the Bulb needs your support, and here are some ways you can help:

1- We have supporters still in jail who need money for bail. Please visit this site and donate. Any amount helps:

http://www.gofundme.com/9pkg6c

2- Check out sharethebulb.org for upcoming events and come out to them