{"id":18411,"date":"2019-04-19T08:22:52","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T16:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=18411"},"modified":"2023-09-06T15:59:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T22:59:56","slug":"stepping-up-for-homeless-black-people-in-oakland","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/stepping-up-for-homeless-black-people-in-oakland\/","title":{"rendered":"Stepping Up for Homeless Black People in Oakland"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Pendarvis Harshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Independent Len<\/em>s documentary Charm City<\/em><\/a> brings to mind the long list of urban American cities that fall into the same category as the Baltimore seen in that film: Detroit, Newark, Compton, and Oakland, to name a few. They\u2019re all post-industrial towns, where the closure of factories, underfunding of public education and over-policing of people of color decimated whole communities. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here in Oakland, the issues are well documented: the police department has been under a federal monitor for the better part of the past two decades, the public school district has had financial woes for years\u2014which led to a teacher strike earlier this year. And two of the three professional sports teams that call the city home will be leaving in the next two years.“In the Civil Rights Movement, it was the radio. In this new wave, it\u2019s the podcast and Twitter.”<\/pullquote><\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of problems to tackle in a town that\u2019s seemingly always featured on the \u2018Most Dangerous City in America\u2019 list. But as in Charm City<\/em>, there are people in the community stepping up to try to make a difference. People like\u00a0Blake Simons<\/strong> and Delency Parham<\/strong>, the leaders of <\/span>The People\u2019s Breakfast Oakland, have a method to the madness: provide for people\u2019s basic needs and a city will be a better place for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s not that simple. It\u2019s not just a matter of serving hot breakfast to a few hundred unsheltered people once a month\u2014but their efforts are a step in the right direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do anything else if the basic necessities aren\u2019t taken care of; food and shelter are the basic things people need for survival out here,\u201d says Parham over the phone. And then he used himself as an example, saying that he couldn\u2019t do any of the work he does without having meals and a place to call home. \u201cBefore we talk about large scale things, we need to take care of the basics first,\u201d says Parham.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simons adds, \u201cYou can\u2019t expect to have a revolution on an empty stomach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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We in the field serving the people of Oakland this morning. @PeoplesBreakOak pic.twitter.com\/8rmaxnOMx4<\/a><\/p>\n

— Abbas (@Abbas_Muntaqim) April 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n