City Council Hears About Harbor Island Apartments and Eviction Threat
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3 August 2004 -
Harbor Island Apartments in Alameda wants to evict all its tenants. Most
are poor working families, some old, some handicapped. 25% receive Section
8 rent subsidy. Over 300 children still live in the 615 unit complex, now
only 60% occupied. The buildings have been deliberately neglected by the
owners inspite of citations for serious health and safety violations. So
far, the city hasn't prosecuted the citations, but has denied Section 8
certification, effectively punishing tenants for landlord violations.
(See The Alameda Journal, February 10, 2004, frontpage)
Tenants held a rally at the Alameda City Hall on Tuesday evening before the
7:30 meeting of the City Council. They explained the frustrations and
terror of living in a neglected complex. Hallways are strewn with garbage.
Raw sewage leaks across floors. Electrical wiring is bare. The place is
plagued by fires. Crime has threatens the residents. But security guards
treat residents like inmates.
The crowd marched together up three flights of stairs and packed into the Council chamber. They waited for the meeting to start, and waited and waited. People talked, calmed children, reminded themselves that this was serious matter demanding respect and care, and waited.
Cameras from Bay Area TV positioned themselves in the room and
people held up protest signs to let the public know why they'd come. An
advocate group, Renewed Hope, passed out a flyer with a list of demands
to help people understand what could be done to stop the evictions and fix
the apartments.
Though everyone was in the room by 7:20, council members didn't enter. They finally showed up more than a half an hour late for the meeting. By that time the frustrated crowd was chanting and calling for action. Some started singing We Shall Not Be Move. Click here to hear the last few minutes before the meeting finally started (1.1 Mb MP3 sound file)
