The homeless types have been moved out of their previous homes and are searching for new places to set up housekeeping. Too bad Ray-Gun did away with helping all those who don't have all their marbles. We as a society are paying for it and have been for 50 years or so.

This has grown beyond belief, and you cannot take a picture while approaching the tunnel from Oakland side to prove a point. This could turn out to be another situation like the jungle in San Jose. City of Oakland: how bad does it have to get before you act? This not a rhetorical question. HOW BAD DOES IT HAVE TO GET?

What is going on in this city? Why would anyone come to Oakland when all they see is a city dump. People trash the city because they know the mayor, the city council is doing nothing about it. There's the homeless and the protesters that do whatever they and it's going to keep being the same until someone has the guts to do something about it. SHAME ON OAKLAND

Actually Mayor Schaff is doing her damnedest to change what has been a comedy of errors by the previous 2 administrations. But it takes time to turn around the ineptitude.

That being said... we as Oaklandites need to step up and help... so what are you doing besides complaining? Do you help with the neighborhood cleans in your area? Will you stand up and be a witness for the police if you see something? It starts with us.

This is the original poster here! I see I hit a nerve. I have a lot of compassion for people who are down and out. My family has lived in Oakland since 1940 and we have been involved for generations in civil rights and community organizations, fundraising, volunteering etc.
However I do not want people living in tents under the highway.
I am not sure who "sheesh!" is talking to but, you have no idea what the other people here are involved in, for all you know they are posting from the local soup kitchen. BUT I think it is also perfectly fine to live in Oakland and just complain without taking the other steps. Yes I do. I play for police and elected officials whose JOB it is to take care of problems. And they even set up this handy web site so I can let them know about problems. It doesn't say, "sign up to volunteer for the neighborhood watch patrol.." It says, See, Click, Fix which implies that they are going to do something about citizen complaints. So stop preaching to the choir and unless you have something to say that will help Oakland PD get this problem actually solved why not move on and do something else with your day.

*PAY for police.

I have at lot of compassion for the down and out but it takes two. They have to willing to crawl out of the hole they have dug for themselves. There is army of homeless advocates out there free food, free close's, free tents and dog houses yet one out of a hundred what help the rest want money for there addictions. The ones that what help find it. The rest are just vagrants and bums that take up to many good peoples time and leave a trail of garbage behind them. FYI I do litter walks almost twice a week and help collect donation so we have litter in the Dimond picked up seven days a week. Average 12 thousand pounds a year.

Some are just not capable of crawling out of the hole they have been placed in (or have dug). Some are there because of drugs, some get into drugs because they have some loose screws. Some just have loose screws. Many don't want to get things from the advocates because they feel it is dangerous to be around "housing". So they end up on the streets talking to themselves. I saw one of the local guys who has been hanging out in my neighborhood doing just that.

Some of the others are predators that prey on those that have nothing. The trick is to help the ones that really need it and then put the predators away.

As far as helping the ones that need help I don't have ready answers, but I think part of it may be to institutionalize some of these people. For others the answer might be to have more half way houses. And there will always be those that don't get reached.

What really gets me is that in some areas the police seem to have more tolerance than others for these people. In my area we have a lot, where as other areas (such as the hills) they are not tolerated. As soon as Piedmont starts getting homeless guys moving in we may see some action on it.

"BUT I think it is also perfectly fine to live in Oakland and just complain without taking the other steps."

You willing to see your taxes increase so that you can complain and see something get done?

Oakland is underfunded and has been for quite a number of years. That's why we have this preposterous 85 year paving cycle on our streets. It's not that they will last that long... it's just that it's all that the powers that be could come up with when faced with their budget shortfall. Same with the Police funding. Oakland has 1.5 times the area of SF and 1/3 of the officers. Something has to give.

So stop whining and start doing. Or pay a lot more so that somebody can deal with your issues...

To "sheesh?" Would you give it a rest? Or at least stay on topic?
This is a complaint web site. People come to file their complaints. Mine is about a homeless camp. Who is equipped to deal with that problem, one little woman who happens to want to ride her bike safely downtown, or the Oakland PD? The police. We already have the laws, they are just not enforcing them.
Again you have no idea what I am doing. I am active in my neighborhood group, volunteer in the community etc etc. I am not about to go down to the transient camp and invite them to camp in my house though. This is a real problem and it is up to our city administration and police to address it.
Why don't you get a life and stop harrassing people for using a complaint web sitefor what it was intended - complaining! It's not really MY issue that there is a tent camp. I can easily avoid it and ignore it for the rest of my life. But it is unsanitary and sketchy and will just create more problems for the city. As a civic minded person I want the city to deal with it. I think that is totally reasonable.
So once more, please keep in mind this is a web site for filing problems and complaints and bringing them to the attention of our city officials ---- it is not your personal forum for berating people for filing their complaints.
And did you not understand the point about preaching to the choir? It means you are asking people to step up and take action in their city... who for all you know already are. Just because I complain about ONE issue on a complaint web site does not mean that I am not ALSO doing plenty in the community. But it is none of your business because living here we have a right to a safe city and for the police to do their jobs.
Now go troll someone else.

And what's more, I was really excited to find this site thinking it would be a good way to report problems. Now that I see that it just attracts other residents with too much time on their hands and their own agendas, I will go back to just emailing or sending snail letters to the city. Who has time for this?

None... this really is a good site. This is the first time I've seen a bunch of talk on here. Sheesh has gone overboard. I think we all know what needs to be done and who needs to do it.

OMG put it to rest already. or at least stay on topic. This is about the homeless encampment. What am I supposed to do, invite the transients to come live in my house? I'm already paying taxes and the laws are just not being enforced. Seriously don't you have anything else to do? This is a website for us to bring problems to the attention of our local administration, It's not your personal preach forum.
Yeah I get it that Oakland is underfunded. But who is equipped to deal with this tent camp, the police or one lone citizen who happens to bring it to their attention.
And as I said you have no idea what I'm doing to help. The whole point of this web site is to file complaints so what exactly do you expect?

None: "Who has time for this?"

Obviously you do...

You need to take your own advice, get off your self entitled high horse and either pay more or do more. Your choice. Complaints by themselves do little to make the situation better.

The City of Oakland has no money... though it is better now than it was, as we pull out of the latest real estate collapse.

BTW... Please notice that I have not accused you or anyone of not doing their part. What I said was: "That being said... we as Oaklandites need to step up and help... so what are you doing besides complaining?" But you immediately assumed that it was a dis directed at you, why? Guilt? And no, I don't expect you or the gal on a bike to go and remove the homeless camp... that's your fabrication to assuage your guilt.

Just like any website, there are folks who monitor them, and then get accusatory and argumentative with other folks using the site. It's happened to me on SCF too.

This is a complaint/alert service, not a good forum for having a constructive discussion on the moral implications of clearing out a homeless encampment. It would be nice if folks were kinder to each other through their online personas, and if they would work to meet face to face on these topics through their neighborhood groups.

Back on point, I believe this property is the responsibility of CalTrans. The reports on SCF are forwarded, but I think you can make a direct/separate report to CT as well. I'm not sure what's going on with the encampment - but CalTrans and the city need to work together to come up with long term solutions for the people residing there, and to permanently remove the camp.

The City of Oakland addressed this issue on 05/14/2015, service request #581303.