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by POOR Magazine Youth PovertSkola Reporter Amir Cornish
On Wednesday on May 3, the encampment on Wood Street was getting demolished by construction bulldozers running over the homes of the community that was built by homeless people to house themselves. I watched this big yellow dragon like bulldozer with its huge mouth blade slowly lifting one of the Wood Street homes that was built out of love for that person.
When all the POOR Magazine family arrived at Wood Street we saw that there were multiple cops just standing around and behind them there was a huge gate covering the front entrance of Wood Street not letting anyone enter.
“We proved that we can survive under duress, through all of these conditions and harassment. We are survivors and we are ready to move to the next level,” said John Janosko, longtime resident organizer of Wood Street Commons.
Wood Street is a wonderful place that John and some other members created for themselves and others to feel safe and belong to a loving community. The City of Oakland never supported them and they should have. As houseless people, just like us houseless people at Homefulness, they knew what they needed and they created it.
“We still communicate even when they scatter us around and put us in different locations but the love ties that were built here can not be cut by cops and bulldozers. Those things will live on and we will rebuild what we started whenever we can and wherever we go. But they can’t arrest that one thing,’’ said Jazz, another longtime resident organizer.
I am Amir Cornish Youth Poverty Skola. I’m from West Oakland. It’s hard for a person to have a home. I remember being homeless worried about the next meal to fill my belly. I remembered moving across different families’ homes spending the night at theirs. Being homeless is not easy for youth and elders. My Mom has always found a way to keep me and brothers fed and a roof over head.
Being homeless, it is not a good feeling to have been sleeping outside for not paying the rent on time or somebody in your home without you knowing. Homelessness is a real thing and people struggle on the street everyday trying to strive on living.
Homefulness and POOR Magazine will be standing with Wood Street Commons forever and help them help themselves
Amir Cornish, Sun of Audrey Candy Corn, is a formerly houseless resident of Homefulness, graduate of the liberation school Deecolonize Academy and Youth in media reporter with POOR Magazine.
