Swept to Death on East 12th St

For Immediate Release: 

Contact: 

Tiny gray-garcia (510)-435-7500 POOR Magazine / Jo​hn Jan​osko/ (510) 712-7639 Wood Street Commons  

TODAY Prayer Procession Held for East 12th st Resident who died after all his belonings were taken in the East 12th St Sweeps

When: 2pm TODAY Thursday, May 22, 2025

Where: East 12th Street & 16th Ave

What: Prayer Procession for Ancestors of Sweeps  

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On Monday, May 19, 2025 "JT" aka James Thomas, a long-time resident of East 12th street was found deceased in his camper as the City of Oakland was hooking it up to be towed away. The day before his RV, where he has resided houselessly for several years on East 12th street was seized by the City of Oakland as part of their violent series of sweeps they have been conducting all across Oakland and most recently on East 12th. 

Members of JT’s family will join formerly houseless prayer-bringers at POOR Magazine and Homefulness,and comrades from Oakland Homeless Union, Wood Street Commons and Oakland Revealed in a prayer procession down East 12th Street for JT,  James Edward Oakley from Vallejo, who was run over by a backhoe in a sweep  and all ancestors of the violence of Sweeps across the US and Palestine. 

“The violence of sweeping people like we are trash killed JT and James Edward Oakley. This system is literally sweeping us to death.”  said tiny gray-garcia, POOR Magazine 

The endless attacks of violence on houseless people by the settler government of so-called Oakland accomplish nothing and are akin to genocide. The majority of residents are disabled elders, and they don’t feel safe; they are terrified. Houseless and poor people have solutions that cost a mere fraction of the exorbitant costs of sweeps. Barbara Lee, can you intervene?

“Jt’s compassion for others was unwaivering, despite the repeated disappointments on the part of the City, he died waiting for something that should be a basic human right,” said Freeway, co-founder of the Oakland Homeless Union 

“As people of faith and conscience, we uphold the sacredness of all people, including those who are unhoused. Everyone is deserving of safety and belonging.  Violent sweeps, criminalization, destroying people’s property, and continuously displacing people from one place to another fail​s to address ​the root causes. People need permanent homes and support for homeless people’s real solutions​.” ​- Rev Deborah Lee, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity.

“In a place that we have always called home since time immemorial, we were the first to be swept from our homes, into prisons we were forced to build,(Missions), into forced labor, and then off the land. What has this society learned over the last few hundred years? History is repeating itself in all the bad ways, continually creating harm and trauma on those who are the most marginalized. When will humans find their moral compass? When will they realize that each of us needs all of us?” ​- Corrina Gould, Tribal Elder, Prayer-Bringer and Co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust. 

In honor of JT and the daily sweeps across Oakland​, POOR Magazine, Wood Street Commons​, and Oakland Homeless Union are demanding that the City of Oakland immediately implement a moratorium on sweeps​.

Click on this link for sanctuary solutions/demands created by houseless and formerly houseless residents and leaders of Homefulness/POOR Magazine and Wood Street Commons 

Please follow:

@poormagazine 

@woodstreetcommons

@oakland.homeless.union

@oakland.revealed