The homeless need a campground on a city owned lot where this kind of crap doesn't happen. Other cities are trying it, why Oakland isn't is beyond me. Instead of advocates handing out tents and syringes, how bout finding a place to camp, toilets, services and needle exchange place instead of them throwing their crap all over.

That would be an awesome idea, simplyblu. Help them to help themselves, rather than just handing them a tent and say, "Here ya go, find a spot."

It's my understanding that AB-3139 (by Assembly Member Bonta - see https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB3139) has been passed by the CA legislature this month and is going through final formalities; it will potentially enable City of Oakland to annually lease up to 10 Caltrans properties for $1 each for emergency homeless housing, temporarily (similar to the 6th & Castro and 27th & Northgate sites - neither of which are permanent sites and are set up to help transition people into permanent shelter and/or programs elsewhere). This is an ability that City/County of SF has had, but Oakland previously did not have. While more resources would have to be assembled than the City currently has in hand (both the 6th/Castro and 27th/Northgate sites had considerable donated materials and services to make them happen), a big first step is to have ACTUAL SITES. The City will not currently close homeless encampments without a place for people to go - they would just move somewhere a couple of blocks away, a waste of everyone's time and effort. I have heard that these sites will not just be planned for the "tuff shed" temp housing, but will also include yards for RVs. So it will be important for sites that come up for proposal to be seriously considered and not just automatically nimby-opposed (I say this as someone with multiple tiny home encampments across the street from our complex). The 6th/Castro and 27th/Northgate sites have actually reduced encampments within a significant radius around them. It is worth learning more about this.

See https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2018/city-to-open-second-tuff-shed-shelter-site-at-27th-and-northgate regarding 27th/Northgate site.

I have heard from the City Administrator's office that both these sites have full-time on-site management, which will be the model for new sites going forward.

The "Compassionate Communities" site at Peralta/36th/Magnolia/35th that closed in May 2017 did not have full-time on-site management and had a fraction of the funding & support that 6th/Castro & 27th/Northgate sites have. After its original funding ended, the ppl were still there; social/crime problems spread into adjacent neighborhood - poisoning the well for community support. Big lesson learned for City Admin's office and Council - don't do this without enough resources, looks like why it's taken this long to move to the next step. I can't fault Peralta/35th neighbors for feeling burned and skeptical.