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People over profit: Acorn tenants fight back

July 9, 2025

Tenants of Acorn Town Center and Courtyards in West Oakland are organizing against what they describe as exploitation and neglect in their low-income housing community. The article details how West Oakland has historically faced systematic disinvestment through policies like redlining, resulting in uninhabitable living conditions, environmental hazards, and health disparities, with asthma hospitalization rates 85% higher than the rest of Alameda County. Residents believe city officials prioritize profit-centered organizations over community needs, leading to deteriorating conditions that force working-class residents to leave.

Who is affected

  • Residents of Acorn Town Center and Courtyards low-income housing in West Oakland
  • Working-class multi-racial tenants, with historically a high percentage of Black residents (formerly 80-90% of 900 units)
  • Poor and working-class people experiencing exploitation
  • West Oakland community members facing environmental health hazards (evidenced by 85% higher asthma hospitalization rates compared to Alameda County)

What action is being taken

  • Tenants of Acorn are organizing and publishing their grievances to raise awareness
  • Community members are "consistently fighting for better conditions" as stated in the article
  • Residents are working to "put the power where it rightfully belongs – in the hands of the masses"
  • Tenants are documenting and publicizing the "deplorable" conditions at Acorn

Why it matters

  • The situation represents ongoing displacement of historically Black neighborhoods in West Oakland
  • Environmental conditions are causing significant health disparities (85% higher asthma rates)
  • The article identifies this as part of systematic disinvestment in West Oakland communities
  • The authors view this as deliberate "genocidal living conditions" designed to push residents out so control of Oakland can be transferred to wealthier interests
  • The housing situation connects to broader issues of food apartheid, environmental hazards, and over-policing

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper