SOFT NEWS Oaklanders sick of the housing crisis build a complex below an underpass

I want to see pictures of this place in 3 months. I have visited MANY homeless camps. Some were in places that I had visited before the homeless moved in.

I hate to be so negative, but unless those who built this have a dedicated cleaning team working 24/7 it will be destroyed in a month or two or at least make a rats nest look good.

Thinwater said:

I want to see pictures of this place in 3 months. I have visited MANY homeless camps. Some were in places that I had visited before the homeless moved in.

I hate to be so negative, but unless those who built this have a dedicated cleaning team working 24/7 it will be destroyed in a month or two or at least make a rats nest look good.

View attachment 266876

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I agree...

Summerthyme

dioptase said:

the very first thought that I had was the overpass coming down in a big earthquake

Click to expand...

Cuz in real life everything in Cali is on the verge of collapse, like in the 70’s disaster films…

TerryK said:

Whoever said that society used to take care of such people many years ago, was right. They were called mental institutions! Liberals who thought they only needed something like cob city, managed to convince the gov to close those mental institutions

Click to expand...

TerryK said:

re- open mental institutions.

Click to expand...

The big state-run mental hospitals were houses of horror. They needed to be completely gone over, and the staff retrained or fired.

DazedandConfused said:

next step is wearing animal skins for cloths

Click to expand...

CLOTHS are for cleaning, CLOTHES are for wearing.

Dennis Olson said:

Cuz in real life everything in Cali is on the verge of collapse, like in the 70’s disaster films…

Click to expand...

Don't you remember the big earthquake that took some of those very overpasses down? My first thought when I saw the pictures was of that earthquake....You couldn't pay me enough money to even walk under those things, let alone live there.

That said, the cob huts are cute, and I wouldn't mind camping in something like that temporarily -- better than a tent. I would want to be on my own property, though.

Kathleen

I spent a decade working in mental health. The last couple of years we had a grant called "Old and Homeless."

A large segment of the homeless population want the lifestyle but they want to be protected from the consequences of the lifestyle ... crime, violence, other mentally ill people, hunger, etc. They have an "I am entitled to my freedom" attitude that while admirable on one had, they live it like other people must give up their freedom for their sake. For instance, property rights are to be ignored because they have a need.

Most homeless - not all as Satanta pointed out - are there due to life choices. Until they are ready to change the way they make their choices and do the hard work necessary to dig their way out of their previous choices, they will remain homeless. Many would rather live on hand outs that work with hand ups. The victim mindset is another problem that many have that is holding them back ... either they think they can never succeed or they think and act like they are owed something.

Now add the issue of mental illness into this. Or the individuals that have zero financial understanding for whatever reason.

You have people that grow up homeless and don't know or understand any other life.

You have young people that hit the streets for whatever reason and they become victimized which in turn becomes a lifestyle.

Some people find "family" on the street and they simply continue to victimize each other.

Etc. Ad nauseum.

While at first glace the "town" someone built for the homeless looks good. But it is just another thing that will keep them where they are. You'll get people moving in but they won't move out or up.

I hope everyone here knows that it is a bad idea to give to panhandlers money. Most don't bother with "will work for food" anymore because too many times it has been caught on camera that you give someone food and they toss it in the nearest dumpster. They want cash. You also have the fake panhandlers that make thousands of dollars a year as a side gig.

What you need are the "put them to work" programs similar to the Salvation Army programs. Do I think SA is perfect? No. But it is the right idea. Simply feeding and clothing someone is insufficient to do anything but sop your own conscience. I am not saying it isn't part of the equation but it shouldn't be the sum total of an effort. Require something of them for the food and clothing. Those unwilling ... set them apart and aside to suffer the consequences. Those unable ... put them in facilities that can help them manage why they are unable, even if that means they lose the freedom to choose; because at that point they don't have the capacity to choose without being a danger to themselves or others.

Those "cute" little houses are grotesque and belong in a Disney cartoon film or a children's play park. How does anyone expect to help people who might not be normal to start with, live a more normal life in a place like that?

And some of those pictures show that it's already starting to become all trashed up.

To me, it's good intentions/bad idea.

Martinhouse said:

Those "cute" little houses are grotesque and belong in a Disney cartoon film or a children's play park. How does anyone expect to help people who might not be normal to start with, live a more normal life in a place like that?

And some of those pictures show that it's already starting to become all trashed up.

To me, it's good intentions/bad idea.

Click to expand...

Do you think that everyone has to live in an identical ticky-tacky box on a suburban street? I'm not going to address the wisdom of the whole project, because you are probably right that it won't stay looking nice for very long. But I don't see any reason why all houses need to look the same. I don't think they are grotesque at all -- they are imaginative and someone put a lot of work into building them.

Kathleen

Martinhouse said:

Those "cute" little houses are grotesque and belong in a Disney cartoon film or a children's play park. How does anyone expect to help people who might not be normal to start with, live a more normal life in a place like that?

And some of those pictures show that it's already starting to become all trashed up.

To me, it's good intentions/bad idea.

Click to expand...

Well, they sure beat a tent or cardboard box. More modern conveniences than any of our pioneer families EVER had.

But absolutely, you can't fix truly dysfunctional people by providing "cute" housing and free food.

Summerthyme

Oaklanders?
How are they "Oaklanders". They do not own property and pay no property tax.
This is the problem with allowing every breathing body the right to vote.
If you do not own property, you have no skin in the game.
Tomorrow, you could be a voting citizen of <name your city>

raven said:

Oaklanders?
How are they "Oaklanders". They do not own property and pay no property tax.
This is the problem with allowing every breathing body the right to vote.
If you do not own property, you have no skin in the game.
Tomorrow, you could be a voting citizen of <name your city>

Click to expand...

They'll be official Oaklanders when it's time to get bused to the polling places.

dioptase said:

What do you do with the 1/3 that don't want to integrate with society?

Click to expand...

There's a biblical passage that covers that:

2 Thessalonians 3:10-15
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ...

Click to expand...

A MAJOR part of the problem are folks with SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH issues. They simply can't take care of themselves and your choice is to either place them somewhere safe where they can get the help they need and the assistance that is necessary for a supervised, but safe and sane life. The other choice is "Hitleresque" and not palatable for sane humans to even consider.

Another issue is that we don't have "FRONTIERS" anymore where nonconformists can go and live as they please. There will always be a percentage of folks that are square pegs that will never fit into a round hole. They are not evil or bad people. They just don't conform to accepted normal social living standards. Being a little crazy/different is ok, until it starts negatively effecting the majority of people around them.

Then there are the EVIL bastards that should just be taken out and hung without a second thought You will NEVER rehabilitate them, convert them, heal them or whatever. They are simply evil and that's all there is to it. They are a danger to EVERYONE around them. They can't be allowed into society or their presence tolerated near by....Charles Manson would be a good example.

This is not an easy issue and one that can be resolved with simple efforts. There is no easy quick fix and no matter what we do, not everyone will be happy.

Samuel Adams said:

Needs to go nationwide.

Tribal.....community....everbody got everybody’s back.

No property taxes, mortgages or building permits.

Click to expand...

That of course pisses me off. If they can get away without paying, so should the rest of society. No we are treated as no better than farm animals. Work all day and they will fleece / harvest us for what they want.

Freeholder said:

Don't you remember the big earthquake that took some of those very overpasses down? My first thought when I saw the pictures was of that earthquake....You couldn't pay me enough money to even walk under those things, let alone live there.

Click to expand...

Yes, I remember. That was a hell of an EQ. That being said, you had a section of raised highway collapse (it wasn’t an overpass IIRC.) But the people killed were in their cars and had no place to go, even if they’d been able to get out of them. It’s not good to live in constant fear. When your time is up, it’s up. That’s all you get and there ain’t no more.

20Gauge said:

That of course pisses me off. If they can get away without paying, so should the rest of society. No we are treated as no better than farm animals. Work all day and they will fleece / harvest us for what they want.

Click to expand...

Be of good cheer. It won't last. If the earthquake doesn't kill them, Civil War II will. This is not a time to be homeless in the US.

Martinhouse said:

Those "cute" little houses are grotesque and belong in a Disney cartoon film or a children's play park.

Click to expand...

Oh look, someone without the slightest appreciation of anything different or unusual. Not a spark of creativity in the soul.

Growing up in SoCal and living through some big earthquakes I don't even like driving under overpasses. Oh and BTW, those overpasses also fall down. Had a navy buddy that was there when the 880 fell down. He was crawling around between the collapsed freeway layers trying to save people. From what he told me...not a good experience I can assure you.


1994 Northridge Earthquake


1971 San Fernando Earthquake




Removed link to Walmart in caption for last image - Dennis

In 1994 one of my best friends (still is) and former housemates was driving on that freeway just as that collapse happened, she doesn't like driving under overpasses anymore either.

That said, I'd rather live in one of the really attractive and creative little houses under the freeway than in a tent surrounded by garbage and human feces.

On the topic of micro-enterprises, I wonder if someone has already started using the "clothing/sewing" area to make book marks, hats, bags, or other items to sell even if it just to raise money for the village and/or for personal income? I know that would be my next goal once I got settled in if I were a new resident.

I worked private security working directly with the so called homeless for nearly 20 years. The VAST MAJORITY of them, nearly 80% have critical mental health, drug and alcohol issues that render them unable to function in normal society. Further, the homeless cult milks them for all the government money they can. Finally, I live in low income housing where Portland dumps a homeless person from time to time. They ALWAYS fail to last long because being homeless is a symptom and not the REAL PROBLEM.
We have created this horde of people who are parasites and we make no attempt to change their pathologies, while spending vast amounts of resources and making our cities uninhabitable. It is a farce. When biden collapses the economy, the homeless will be abandoned and die like flies.

Wondering if that is still "the vast majority." More and more people are getting sucked under. As the edge crumbles, that is going to include largely normal people - maybe not the most proactive, or fittest, and probably at that point pretty damn discouraged and depressed, but normal all the same.

From my vantage point, I'd say that most of them still have enough together to at least keep a car running. The entire RV scene on YouTube is looking increasingly scary. People put up a brave face, but in many cases, I gotta wonder... Given the increasingly difficulty in getting proper ID (I posted about my own horrible and EXPENSIVE experience on this about a year ago, things are going to get even worse with the vaxxx BS. You are eventually denied nearly everything w/o proper and current ID.

This mess is going to get bad fast, and it includes perfectly normal people.

20Gauge said:

That of course pisses me off. If they can get away without paying, so should the rest of society. No we are treated as no better than farm animals. Work all day and they will fleece / harvest us for what they want.

Click to expand...

No argument, there.

You should look into the history of land title in America.

Lords and feudal land arrangements were done away with as of our winning the war against king George’s usurpations.

The congress of 1820 and 1838 went so far as to make Allodial title, (every man king on his own lands, owing no fee, rent, tenure, tax or allegiance to any but God, Himself) the Law of the Land.

Now.....here we are again.

Dennis Olson said:

Yes, I remember. That was a hell of an EQ. That being said, you had a section of raised highway collapse (it wasn’t an overpass IIRC.) But the people killed were in their cars and had no place to go, even if they’d been able to get out of them. It’s not good to live in constant fear. When your time is up, it’s up. That’s all you get and there ain’t no more.

Click to expand...

I agree. But I still wouldn't live underneath one of those roadways, whether overpass or raised highway! Not there, where earthquakes are so common.

Kathleen

Faroe said:

Wondering if that is still "the vast majority." More and more people are getting sucked under. As the edge crumbles, that is going to include largely normal people - maybe not the most proactive, or fittest, and probably at that point pretty damn discouraged and depressed, but normal all the same.

From my vantage point, I'd say that most of them still have enough together to at least keep a car running. The entire RV scene on YouTube is looking increasingly scary. People put up a brave face, but in many cases, I gotta wonder... Given the increasingly difficulty in getting proper ID (I posted about my own horrible and EXPENSIVE experience on this about a year ago, things are going to get even worse with the vaxxx BS. You are eventually denied nearly everything w/o proper and current ID.

This mess is going to get bad fast, and it includes perfectly normal people.

Click to expand...

I've had a number of encounters with homeless people who were homeless because of mental health problems, and I've been homeless myself for a while after my marriage broke up. There's a big difference between the two categories -- usually, people who are homeless for reasons other than mental health or drug problems have family and friends they can stay with, or who will help them in some way. At the very least, they immediately start doing everything they can to get back to a more normal way of life.

People who are mentally ill or have drug problems have often alienated their support network, which is why they end up on the streets. They are too difficult for normal people to keep them in their houses. Druggies will steal you blind and can be dangerous; the mentally ill can be down-right scary especially if there are children in the household. Often, neither group makes good housemates for the same reasons they leave such a mess wherever they are in the cities. They simply are not functional on the level that most of us expect any normal person to be functional, like a dog that can't be housebroken. Or a dog that barks constantly and can't be broken of it, or that bites everyone who approaches it.

There would undoubtedly be a lot less of the second group if they weren't being enabled and used for advantage by the grifters in our society. Some of them could be more functional if they were forced to be.

Kathleen

Freeholder said:

Do you think that everyone has to live in an identical ticky-tacky box on a suburban street? I'm not going to address the wisdom of the whole project, because you are probably right that it won't stay looking nice for very long. But I don't see any reason why all houses need to look the same. I don't think they are grotesque at all -- they are imaginative and someone put a lot of work into building them.

Kathleen

Click to expand...

Wasted labor and wasted money put forth by liberal do-gooders to salve their own socialist conscience.
Being concerned or impressed with the architecture is beyond comical.

TerryK said:

Wasted labor and wasted money put forth by liberal do-gooders to salve their own socialist conscience.
Being concerned or impressed with the architecture is beyond comical.

Click to expand...

Seriously? Architecture of all kinds has been almost an obsession of mine for over fifty years. I appreciate interesting buildings of all kinds, with a preference for the unique and handmade. I'm not prejudiced about who built it, or for what reason.

Kathleen

Freeholder said:

Do you think that everyone has to live in an identical ticky-tacky box on a suburban street? I'm not going to address the wisdom of the whole project, because you are probably right that it won't stay looking nice for very long. But I don't see any reason why all houses need to look the same. I don't think they are grotesque at all -- they are imaginative and someone put a lot of work into building them.

Kathleen

Click to expand...

And they are using reclaimed materials for building.

I applaud the notion, work, and willingness to at least try. No one else is coming up with a plan. trying an idea that may or may not work is better than waiting for someone else to come up with a solution.

Isn't there a saying about how living a good life is just showing up? Or something like that?

You have to try

pauldingbabe said:

And they are using reclaimed materials for building.

I applaud the notion, work, and willingness to at least try. No one else is coming up with a plan. trying an idea that may or may not work is better than waiting for someone else to come up with a solution.

Isn't there a saying about how living a good life is just showing up? Or something like that?

You have to try

Click to expand...

True. No matter how misguided, they are at least trying to offer a solution. And learning a few things while they are at it, I suspect.

Kathleen

I don't have a problem with COB construction (if done correctly) and I really do like the funky look and individuality of the structures. Frankly I think the cost of modern homes is beyond ridiculous and far far over the top. There are so many rules and restrictions and such that most people feel that they couldn't build a dog house let alone a people house. Every "man" should be smart enough and able enough, to build their own home that is solid and safe and WITHOUT A MORTGAGE!! Those are the kind of things that should be taught in high school. Building a home is not a mystery. It's not magic. It's not impossible.

Homes should be built to be MULTI-GENERATIONAL without a huge amount of maintenance to keep them functional and safe or a HUGE amount of debt to build and own.

ShadowMan said:

I don't have a problem with COB construction (if done correctly) and I really do like the funky look and individuality of the structures. Frankly I think the cost of modern homes is beyond ridiculous and far far over the top. There are so many rules and restrictions and such that most people feel that they couldn't build a dog house let alone a people house. Every "man" should be smart enough and able enough, to build their own home that is solid and safe and WITHOUT A MORTGAGE!! Those are the kind of things that should be taught in high school. Building a home is not a mystery. It's not magic. It's not impossible.

Homes should be built to be MULTI-GENERATIONAL without a huge amount of maintenance to keep them functional and safe or a HUGE amount of debt to build and own.

Click to expand...

Very well said! I totally agree with you. I've wanted to build a cob home for a long, long time for just these reasons -- am somewhat stymied by my bad back. But that's basically my dream home.

Kathleen

ShadowMan said:

Here's the thing folks. When I was running a Veteran college prep program in Colorado, twice a year all the various local humanitarian services got together and held a "Homeless Assistance Weekend". The homeless would get a free meal, free new sleeping bag, socks, underwear, medical exam, dental work, job search......and such. I would help vets apply for VA Education benefits, VA disability, and such things.

There are basically several types of homeless.

Those that are:

• Down on their luck and trying to get back on their feet, more than willing to get any help to get back to normal.
• Have serious issues and shouldn't be on their own; medical, mental, drugs, whatever.
• Don't want to work for a living, don't want a job, boss, responsibilities, etc.

There are a group of homeless that just don't care, they don't want limits, rules, anything. They've got everything figured out: where to get whatever they want and need: food, medicine, drugs, shelter, etc., etc., they don't want is to be accountable to ANYONE!! And the last thing they want is to have to conform to anything.

So we can take care of two-thirds of the homeless....but a third will not comply.

Click to expand...

I'm #3 as soon as I retire

Dennis Olson said:

Cuz in real life everything in Cali is on the verge of collapse, like in the 70’s disaster films…

Yes, I remember. That was a hell of an EQ. That being said, you had a section of raised highway collapse (it wasn’t an overpass IIRC.) But the people killed were in their cars and had no place to go, even if they’d been able to get out of them. It’s not good to live in constant fear. When your time is up, it’s up. That’s all you get and there ain’t no more.

Click to expand...

Everyone here in the area was horrified by that collapse and the ensuing drama searching for survivors. Iirc they did manage to pull one guy out alive and everyone thought that was a miracle, but he didn't last that long after, dying within a matter of days. I think most (sane) people here who lived through that event (as adults) now have that collapse and bridge failures (we had a problem there too with a section collapse in the Bay Bridge) in the back of their minds in the event of future large earthquakes. The San Andreas fault isn't the only quake hazard here.

Being aware of the hazards is not quite the same as living in constant fear, though I confess that for at least a few months after the Loma Prieta quake, with all of the aftershocks, that life was stressful, especially when on a bridge or under an overpass. (I would try to leave room if I had to stop under an overpass, to maneuver out if things started shaking again.)

That said, knowing what can happen in a large quake, and knowing that sometime again there will be another large quake in the area, it is stupid to think that similar things can't happen again. It is beyond my comprehension that they built that village under an overpass, but I don't know that city and maybe there really isn't any other place for encampments.

ShadowMan said:

Not so sure I'd want to build anything UNDER that overhead freeway in EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY!!

Can you say....PANCAKE!!

However, I like the idea of COB cabins over those rag tag tents and lean-to's on every back street. Even a composting toilet is FAR BETTER than the homeless just crapping on the sidewalks!! I don't know the answer to this homeless issue but we have to do SOMETHING!! This situation is getting totally out of hand!

Click to expand...

For the economically homeless this is a lifesaver, giving them a chance to get stability as they also work back to jobs and a future. For the mentality I'll and drug addicted this will not help much. And, for them, to my sorrow I don't think anything will. I hope I am wrong.

when you are talking about the homeless . . . is it really a "housing crisis"? . . . is it even a crisis if it is chronic?

All things considered, Oakland is a good place for them.

Was just west of downtown OKC, just off of I-40 and was shocked at the number of indigents.

Maybe they could be given a bus ticket to Oakland?

Freeholder said:

Very well said! I totally agree with you. I've wanted to build a cob home for a long, long time for just these reasons -- am somewhat stymied by my bad back. But that's basically my dream home.

Kathleen

Click to expand...

RT 6:43
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VcdwDRNPzA

aircrete homes

raven said:

when you are talking about the homeless . . . is it really a "housing crisis"? . . . is it even a crisis if it is chronic?

Click to expand...

It's a crisis if they are being enabled to the point where they shut down cities.

Cardinal said:

It's a crisis if they are being enabled to the point where they shut down cities.

Click to expand...

when you say "enabled", it sounds like it was created. If it was created; if it was part of the plan . . . then not a crisis

raven said:

when you say "enabled", it sounds like it was created. If it was created; if it was part of the plan . . . then not a crisis

Click to expand...

noun, plural cri·ses [krahy-seez].
a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Planning or lack of planning doesn't matter.
If the definition fits, and it does, it is a crisis.

Cardinal said:

How bout I come visit you there.....

Click to expand...

I am already undressing.

Cardinal said:

RT 6:43

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VcdwDRNPzA

aircrete homes

Click to expand...

I've watched that video before, and the house is extremely cool, although I don't think I would want my house to be that color, LOL!

Kathleen