Before 8am on Friday, March 18, over a hundred housing activists caught the Oakland Chamber of Commerce off guard at their "Oakland is open for business" breakfast for real estate developers. Protesters were able to completely shut down the 2016 Economic Development Summit at the Kaiser Building on Lake Merritt before Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf could even give her opening remarks.

Once inside, demonstrators took the stage. Lockboxes were used to block one of the main entrances to the conference room. Multiple chants, including "Housing is a human right," rang out. The shutdown was organized to interrupt the red carpet that Oakland is rolling out to businesses and developers while the Mayor and City Council refuse to declare a housing state of emergency or take any significant actions to halt the massive displacement of long-time Oakland residents currently disrupting communities across the city.

The Oakland City Council is scheduled to vote on declaring a housing state of emergency at its April 5 meeting.

Black Power Network Calls for Housing Emergency NOW | Protesters Crash Oakland Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Set to Feature Mayor Libby Schaaf | Anti-Displacement Activists Shut Down Mayor’s Economic Development Summit