Outcry over proposed homeless shelter in Oakland’s Jack London Square

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — The conversion of the Jack London Square Inn into a homeless shelter has raised concerns among some business owners in Oakland’s historic district.

“I’ve been in business in Jackson Square for 50 years and I’m very concerned about this homeless shelter they’re going to put at the entrance to Jack London Square,” said Raymond Gallagher, founder of Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar.

Business owners gathered Thursday to denounce the city’s plan to turn the 100-plus-room hostel into a shelter. “We’re in the middle of a restaurant and entertainment district, and that’s not what we need. There are plenty of other options in Oakland to house the homeless,” Gallagher said.

“Oakland obviously has a crime problem. We have a problem with a lot of businesses closing and leaving the city,” said Leronne Armstrong, a former Oakland police chief turned city council candidate. “I don’t think we need to do anything in this city that forces businesses to ask themselves whether they want to make the drastic decision to close their doors.”

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“I think the city and the government have a duty to house people. I don’t think they should be housed in a commercial corridor,” said Derreck Johnson, owner of Home of Chicken and Waffles.

A longtime tenant in the same building as the inn, Johnson recently decided to move his business. “My lease was up and I wanted something new and fresh, but I knew before anyone else what was coming and I thought, ‘OK, it’s time to go.’”

But as Bay Area cities step up efforts to clear encampments, homeless advocates say the need for shelter is also growing.

“It’s not okay to stigmatize people for being poor and assume that they’re going to have a negative impact on your neighborhood just because they’re poor,” said Jennifer Friedenback, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness. “We need to come together and create solutions. And that means supporting important interventions that work.”

Meanwhile, those business owners say they will continue to pressure the city to find a new location for the shelter.