BART shapes up on Civil Rights? Facelift or Real Change?

Will BART’s Public Meetings be a Facelift or Create Real Change?

From the murder of Oscar Grant to fare hikes and the fight over the Oakland Airport Connector, BART has been in the news A LOT this past year. These events have crystallized something that many of us have known for awhile – That BART has been consistently indifferent to the lives, rights and needs of our community.

BART and Civil Rights

Yet BART has recently proclaimed itself the “gold standard” of civil rights and has launched a series of public meetings to get feedback on public participation (listing below). To those of us that have watched BART consistently ignore concerns that the Airport Connector may unduly impact low income people and people of color, fail to discipline Tony Pirone, the BART Police Officer who physically and verbally assaulted Oscar Grant prior to his murder, and run roughshod over public decision making processes, “gold standard” rings hollow.

Is BART committed to real change or a shrewd media facelift?  What will these meetings yield?

It is important to recall that BART’s new “interest” in civil rights comes only because the federal government—and community pressure—have forced BART to comply with civil rights legislation. In order to get federal funding for the Airport Connector, BART must comply with Civil Rights rules as well as put together a plan for public participation for future fare and service decisions.

At Urban Habitat, we are committed to holding BART to their spin. We will use this opportunity to demand that BART fundamentally change its unjust, indifferent culture and structure and hold it accountable to the people it was created to serve – its riders and residents.  

BART Public Meetings

BART’s public meetings, held over the next several weeks, is a chance for residents, riders and community groups to ask for REAL CHANGE.  Let’s:
1)     Hold BART accountable for decisions that are fair, transparent,  and meet the needs of its riders and its neighbors, especially low-income communities of color (refer to our flyer for more on best practices public participation);
2)     Get BART to involve low-income residents and riders in all future major decisions related to BART service changes or fare hikes; and
3)     Ensure East Oakland residents have a say in what gets built in their community.

BART is a PUBLIC agency.  BART belongs to us! 

It should understand our transportation needs and listen to our wishes.

If you have been contacted by BART or if you plan on attending one of the community meetings, we want to know.  We want to make sure that if you choose to go, you are well prepared to tell BART what you think, even if they don’t want to hear it.

We’ve created a basic one-page hand-out (in English and Spanish) that lays out WHAT BART is doing and WHY we should care. Please pass this on.  Also, we would be happy to provide more background information to you – over the phone, by email or in person.  You can reach us at:

Bob, Lindsay and Will: 510-839-9510 or will(at), lindsay(at) or bob(at) urbanhabitat.org.
**For a longer update on the Oakland Airport Connector scroll to the bottom.**

Dates of BART meetings:
ALAMEDA COUNTY
For more info contact June Garrett, BART Government & Community Relations, (510) 464-6257 or jgarret@bart.gov

BERKELEY (near Ashby BART)
Friday, April 9
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
South Berkeley Senior Ctr.
2939 Ellis Street

FREMONT
Wednesday, March 31
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Fremont Library, Fukaya Room B
2400 Stevenson Blvd.

HAYWARD (near Hayward BART)
Friday, April 2
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
City Hall, Room 2A
777 B Street

OAKLAND (near Fruitvale BART)
Tuesday, April 6
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
San Antonio Neighborhood Community Ctr.
2325 East 12th Street

OAKLAND (across from West Oakland BART)
Monday, April 5
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Mandela Gateway
1350 7th Street

SAN LEANDRO
Thursday, April 1
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
San Leandro Library, Estudillo Room
300 Estudillo Avenue

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
For more info contact Walter Gonzales, BART Government & Community Relations,
(510) 464-6428 or wgonzal@bart.gov

ANTIOCH, OAKLEY, BRENTWOOD
Thursday, April 1
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Antioch High School
700 West 18th Street

CONCORD, PLEASANT HILL
Wednesday, April 14
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Cambridge Elementary
1135 Lacey Lane

EL CERRITO
Saturday, April 10
10:00 am - 11:30 am
El Cerrito Community Center
7007 Moeser Lane

PITTSBURG
Tuesday, April 6
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Pittsburg High School
250 School Street

RICHMOND
Wednesday, March 31
9:00 am - 10:00 am
Catholic Charities of the East Bay,
English Action Center at Grace Lutheran Church
2369 Barrett Avenue

SAN FRANCISCO/SAN MATEO COUNTIES
For more info, contact Molly Burke, BART Government & Community Relations,
(510) 464-6172 or mburke@bart.gov

BAYVIEW
Tuesday, April 6
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Bayview YMCA, Community Room
1601 Lane Street, San Francisco

CHINATOWN
Monday, April 12
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Cameron House, Main Hall
920 Sacramento Street, San Francisco

EXCELSIOR
Thursday, April 8
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church, Willis Hall
32 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco

MISSION
Monday, April 5
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Valencia Gardens, Community Room
390 Valencia Street, San Francisco

SAN BRUNO
Wednesday, April 21
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Saint Bruno's Church,Parish Hall
555 West San Bruno Avenue, San Bruno

TENDERLOIN
Wednesday, March 31
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Cova Hotel, 8th Floor Meeting Room
655 Ellis Street, San Francisco

OAC UPDATE

In response to a complaint filed by Genesis, Public Advocates, TransForm and Urban Habitat, BART was found to be out of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Environmental Justice regulations by the Federal Transit Administration.  To get into compliance, BART must carry out a four-part Corrective Action Plan that includes developing a Public Participation Plan for whenever it plans a major change in service or fare.  If you’d like a copy of the Corrective Action Plan, please let us know.

Because BART was unable to get into compliance with Title VI in time, Federal officials yanked the $70 million in Federal Stimulus funds that had been slated for the Oakland Airport Connector.  These funds were immediately redistributed amongst all of the transit agencies in the Bay Area to be used for providing service – helping to plug the budget gaps that they are all experiencing.  

The loss of $70 million has temporarily halted the OAC.  BART is now busily trying to get back into compliance with Civil Rights and at the same time is doing everything it can to find the funding it needs to complete the project.  

We continue to fight to win an alternative connector project that will better serve the needs of BART’s low income residents and riders.  A MEANINGFUL public participation process is tantamount to our success.  At the end of the day, BART belongs to us and should listen to us.  Until BART cedes control to the community, it will continue to make decisions without accountability – often serving the needs of few, at the expense of many.

If you are interested in getting involved, please call or email us!