Homeless RVers gather in a residential Oakland neighborhood

OAKLAND — Antoinette Millard moved out of her apartment in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood Sunday after living there for three years. She and a friend were loading all of her household items into a U-Haul truck.

Her apartment is on the corner of East 9th Street and 34th Avenue next to a row of recreational vehicles parked on the street. She said she couldn’t deal with it anymore because of the too much noise and litter.

“They stay up all night. I don’t know what they do in the trailer but it bothers me mentally and physically,” Millard said.

She wasn’t alone. Her neighbor had just given her landlord Francis Wong a 30-day notice to leave.

“Antoinette, when she gave me the 30-day notice, I said I was going to lower her rent. But she still said, ‘No, I can’t.'” “The tenants are giving me 30-day notice one by one,” Wong said.

Neighbors said it started with a few RV residents parked on East 9th Street about two years ago and slowly grew over time.

Earlier this month, the city removed all recreational vehicles parked near the High Street Home Depot on Alameda Street. Workers placed concrete blocks and K-rail barriers to prevent vehicle passengers from returning.

Residents said many homeless people moved their vehicles to nearby streets. Some of them moved to East 9th Street.

“We have about a third more people in RVs (than before the Alameda Street evacuation),” Wong said.

Neighbors and business owners also noticed more cut-up vehicles and drug dealing on the street.

“My new clients won’t even park. They won’t even park. I’ve had people say to me, ‘I’m not going to park in front of your building,'” said Randy Scalzetti, who owns a dog service business in East. 9th Street. “I mean it’s crazy. I’m scared and angry.”

Neighbor Rafael Barajas, a father of three, said a homeless man dropped his pants in front of his mother-in-law. He is concerned about sex offenders and the safety of his family.

“We are actually being held hostage in this camp. We are on the front lines,” Barajas said.

Don Williams, who was not a resident, blamed a few bad actors for causing problems for everyone.

“These homeless people are here, these people here are not bothering anyone,” Williams said. “They might work their whole lives and lose their jobs.”

As for Millard, she’s glad she’s out of the neighborhood.

“It’s time for me to go,” Millard said as she got into the U-Haul.

The city posted fliers alerting unsheltered people that they would clean up the site from Nov. 7 to 9, but nearby residents said they wanted more than just a cleanup. They want RV residents to move.