Stop Oakland Monopoly!!

We are currently holding a bookstore space at 4770a Telegraph Avenue, and this has become a contentious issue because a private real-estate development and investment company, the Nautilus Group, is planning to demolish the building and replace this historical site with market-rate condos. In facing the problem of gentrification, we recognize that Oakland’s urban environment and culture is being diminished- and possibly even being monopolized- by private development companies such as the "Nautilus Group', who are raising rent prices and displacing locals from their homes, friends, jobs, urban environment.

Such development groups seem to feel no responsibility to local residents and communities, and are scouring Oakland for property to buy and turn into un-affordable condos. Such practices are causing a massive wave of displacement, and are significantly affecting the lives of local people.

The "Nautilus Group" has already begun and will continue to attempt to purchase multiple properties, possibly interfering with some of your land. This week, an elder lady came to us at the True People Bookshop and Collective at 4700a Telegraph Ave at approximately 9:00pm, and she was clearly distressed and furious. She asked us how do we keep 'the Nautilus Group' from bothering her and ruining her property and maybe even the rest of her life? She told us that Randall Miller, CEO of the Nautilus group used his "sweet charm and psychological finesse" to try to appropriate 40% of her deed. Indeed, in Temescal alone, the "Nautilus Group" has surely already displaced at least dozens of families, and they are now trying to evict us from our bookstore and collective space to demolish the building and build condos in its place.

"Nautilus" is planning to demolish the 4700 block Victorian residential and store front along with the empty lot next to it at 5100 Telegraph, as well as the old Global entertainment building, to build market-rate condos in their place. The 'Nautilus Group' has been in Oakland for less than two years and they claim to want to improve our community as a residential and business district by building more un-affordable housing, but we must question: development at what cost?

To learn more about the "Nautilus Group" and their plans for development, visit:
http://www.transformca.org/landing-page/4700-telegraph-ave.
You can also visit http://www.nautilusgrp.com/ to find out more about this development company.

Also, you can find more information about their development projects on Telegraph here:
https://localwiki.org/oakland/Nautilus_Group

We at "True People Books And Collective" are scheduled to go to court against "Telegraph 1 Neun Owner" on Wednesday 10/8/15, also known as the "Nautilus Group". Interestingly, the proposed lawyer of the trial, Alexis M. Miller, is- if we are not mistaken- the wife of the the President of the Nautilus group, Randall Miller. This only further goes to show the way that power works together to displace local residents and businesses in our community. We urge local residents in Oakland to support us in our struggle against the Nautilus Group, so that we may at the very least show these private development companies that the residents of Oakland want to mitigate the very negative effects of gentrification. We must strive to keep Oakland in the hands of the community, and continue to support spaces that bring together local youth and residents for creativity and empowerment.

WE RECEIVED MAIL AS OF TODAY AFTER WE FILED A COUNTER-SUIT AND THE COURT DATE WAS RESCHEDULED FOR 10/22/15 FOR A CIVIL TRIAL SETTLEMENT AND THE MASTER JURY TRIAL FOR 10/23.15.

Edited By Ms.Aida