400-Person Crowd Makes Bold Plans to "Build Oakland for Everyone"

The gym at St. Anthony's Church could barely hold the energetic crowd that gathered on Saturday, November 17, 2007 for "Building Oakland for Everyone: A Summit on Jobs, Housing, and Justice." Over 400 Oaklanders came to the summit from neighborhoods across the city, where many struggle with violence and pollution, a lack of good-paying jobs, and overpriced housing. In fact, a recently released report by the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and the Oakland Network for Responsible Development (ONWRD) has found that the bottom twenty percent (20%) of Oakland's families control only three percent (3%) of Oakland's wealth.

Through discussions held in four languages, summit participants set forth a new vision for Oakland's future - one where the city uses new economic development to create good-paying jobs for residents, affordable homes, and safe, healthy communities. Then, as a first step towards making this vision a reality, hundreds signed postcards calling on their City Councilmembers to adopt a development strategy that puts Oaklanders first. Participants also received colorful green signs that read “Build Oakland for Everyone”.

A number of elected officials attended the summit, sharing their visions and listening to their constituents. They included Assemblywoman Loni Hancock; Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson; Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Gay Cobb; Oakland City Councilmembers Jane Brunner, Pat Kernighan, and Nancy Nadel; Oakland School Board Members Kerry Hammil and Greg Hodge; and Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby. Josie Camacho of Mayor Ron Dellums' office; Richard Cowan, Chief of Staff for Oakland City Councilmember Jean Quan; new Port of Oakland Commissioners Victor Uno and Margaret Gordon; and Merlin Edwards of the Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce also joined the event.

The summit, co-sponsored by the Oakland Network for Responsible Development (ONWRD) and the Oakland People's Housing Coalition, was supported by dozens of community organizations and labor unions. ONWRD is a broad coalition of thirteen labor, community, housing, and environmental organizations working to harness the power of economic development to create real benefits for working communities. The Oakland People's Housing Coalition is a coalition of community, housing, interfaith, tenant, and labor organizations that is calling for a comprehensive affordable housing agenda in Oakland.

For more information

To obtain a copy of ONWRD’s report, “Putting Oakland to Work”, click here