“I don’t have any more energy to move.”
“But the sweeping machines are coming for us Mama”
“Whatever…” her last syllable trailed off as she looked down.
I remembered this terrifying conversation with my Mama when I heard about the violent death by sweep that killed lifelong Vallejo resident James Edward Oakley. Me and Mama were crumpled up in a doorway of an abandoned building. We had already had our car-home towed. We had already had our tent and all of our precious belongings stolen. And now they were coming again. To sweep us out of this doorway. To nowhere.
“They knew James was there when they ran that backhoe through that lot,” said Shawn O’Malley, longtime friend of James and a currently houseless organizer with the Vallejo Homeless Union.
The terrifying death of 58-year-old James Edward Oakley, from the violence of sweeping humans like we are trash on Christmas Eve of 2024, was hastily adjudicated by the Solano County district attorney, soon after his death, which conveniently released them from all criminal liability. But all of us houseless/formerly houseless povertyskolaz from Vallejo Homeless Union, POOR Magazine and Mixed Collective knew better.
We barely live though these violent attacks known as “sweeps” on our bodies and lives and sadly many of us don’t survive. Lo and behold, when O’Malley said the City of Vallejo knew he was there, the newly released evidence is proving him right.
Truth comes to light
Help us save local journalism!
Every tax-deductible donation helps us grow to cover the issues that mean the most to our community. Become a 48 Hills Hero and support the only daily progressive news source in the Bay Area.
A coroner’s investigation released March 10 showed contradictions between what city workers told police, and what investigators discovered upon arriving at the scene.
According to the report, Oakley had been lying on a mattress under blankets and clothes when one of the “sweepers” (employed by the City of Vallejo) smashed him with the bucket of the city-owned backhoe. The backhoe operator then scooped up a pile of debris and began moving it toward a dump truck. Another member of the work crew then spotted Oakley’s leg dangling from the bucket of the backhoe.
“They have been “sweeping” us since 1492…” Kim, a Miwok warrior sister, aunty and Board member of Sogorea Te Land Trust. Kim was one of many powerful houseless, poor, indigenous speakers and prayer bringers from occupied Sogorea Te (aka so-called Vallejo) and POOR Magazine who spoke at an emergency press conference held on Tuesday outside the Vallejo City Council.
Following the Grants Pass v Johnson Supreme Court ruling that deemed houseless residents of the US no longer protected by the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, state and city legislators, police and sheriffs enhanced their already violent “sweeps” policies by directing state agencies to dismantle homeless encampments on state land. The lives of hundreds of houseless elders and disabled adults have become gravely endangered, and they have died in increasing numbers due to this state sponsored violence over the last several months.
We have demands and solutions
“Stop the homeless sweeps,” said Kat of the Vallejo Homeless Union, reading off a powerful list of demands for the city of Vallejo that have already been presented to the city by the Vallejo Homeless Union.
Kat continued, “2. stop indiscriminately moving us around. 3) The City of Vallejo needs to provide services to all residents of encampments. 4) they need to release all records of sweeps. 5) We need pest control and safety from people who target us. 6). We need the City of Vallejo to stop people from illegally dumping on homeless encampments. We are no different from housed folks, no-one wants to live in a trash piles. 7) The City of Vallejo needs to release all records on James Edward Oakley.
“We want to work with the City of Vallejo, You cannot solve the problem of homelessness without our input,” Kat said. (To read the complete list of demands from Vallejo Homeless Union go to poormagazine.org at this link )
“They killed my kittens in a sweep,” Kathy, another long-time houseless resident of so-called Vallejo and powerful co-leader of the Vallejo Homeless Union said. She told of surviving a violent sweep that resulted in the bulldozing death of her beloved kittens and the loss of all of their belongings, and so much more.
“The city is not saying their actions were criminal but they sure sound criminal to me. He was a human being. The city needs to change their policies, hopefully they will. But we won’t stop until they do,” concluded Shawn.
JUSTICE FOR JAMES… Stop Sweeping Us Like We Are Trash
“I am a longtime Vallejo resident, just like James was, and I experienced homelessness and as all of us Vallejo residents know, there isn’t much support here for any of us in struggle,” said Lori Herrerra, artist and founder of Mixed Collective and povertyskola reporter and Po Poet with POOR Magazine.
JUSTICE FOR JAMES- we have actual solutions- not more pain
“We have actual solutions, not more sweeps, solutions like Homefulness, which currently houses 23 houseless youth, adults and elders in rent-free forever housing, houseless folks like me who are now securely housed with my daughter and partner,” said LeaJay Harper, formerly houseless resident of Wood Street Commons and now Homefulness resident.
We aren’t seen as humans, that’s why they keep using these hygienic metaphors about our bodies; sweeping, cleaning, removing and endlessly gentriFUking us from our communities
“He was a gentle giant kind of guy, if I needed a jump or something he’d be right there, many times actually, you could always count on him,” Shawn spoke through tears.
For updates on the ongoing case for Justice for James Edward Oakley follow @vallejo.homeless.union and @poormagazine on IG. For more information about homeless peoples solutions to homelessness click on www.poormagazine.org/homefulness and www.WoodStreetCommons.org Gratitude to Matthew Brown of Open Vallejo media for facts on the coroner’s report . Watch video of press conference here
