To: Libby Schaaf, Mayor, City of Oakland
Protect Oakland's shopping cart recyclers
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the City of Oakland's decision to shut down Alliance Recycling on August 20th without offering hundreds of poor recyclers, many of whom are African-American, with an alternative source of income.
We are gravely concerned by the Oakland City Attorney's Office characterizing Alliance as a 'nuisance' and incriminating shopping cart recyclers, en masse, as 'thieves' and 'addicts.' Such language strips recyclers of the dignity of their labor.
We urge you to take note of the ACLU's letter urging the City of Oakland to find a compassionate solution to this unfolding economic and humanitarian crisis, one that balances the City's concern for the quality of life of some neighbors with the need to protect the economic livelihood of the clients, employees and owners of Alliance recycling.
At a time when homelessness and poverty threaten the lives of millions of Americans, we trust that, in consultation with the Oakland City Council, you will provide the necessary leadership, imagination and compassion to serve and protect the interests of all of Oakland's residents, particularly the most vulnerable.
Why is this important?
At a time when millions of Americans are facing poverty and homelessness, the City of Oakland is labeling hundreds of shopping cart recyclers as "addicts" and "thieves" and shutting down Alliance Metals, a recycling center that serves as a lifeline for Oakland's underclass. Join us, the ACLU, the NAACP and filmmaker Oliver Stone. Demand that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf find a compassionate solution, one that dignifies the labor and protects the economic livelihood of Oakland's most vulnerable residents.