Qilombo

Last updated

Qilombo
Afrika Town, Oakland CA.jpg
Mural on side of building
Qilombo
Former namesThe Holdout
EtymologyBased on Quilombo
General information
Address2313 San Pablo Ave, CA 94612
Town or city West Oakland
CountryUS
Coordinates 37°48′50″N122°16′29″W / 37.8138°N 122.2747°W / 37.8138; -122.2747
ClosedJanuary 9, 2019
OwnerNeil Sullivan
Children harvest tomatoes at the Afrika Town Garden Afrika Town tomato harvest.jpg
Children harvest tomatoes at the Afrika Town Garden

Qilombo (formerly The Holdout) was a community space in West Oakland, California, USA, that operated from 2011 through 2019. It was originally opened as an anarchist, self-managed social center then changed its name and focus in 2014 to become a community space for local Black and Brown people. The center initiated the Afrika Town project and created the Afrika Town garden on an empty lot adjacent to the Qilombo building. The garden was evicted in 2018 and the following year Qilombo itself was closed by Alameda County officials accompanying representatives of the owner.

Contents

History

The Holdout opened in 2011, at 2313 San Pablo Avenue in West Oakland. It operated for three years as an anarchist, self-managed social center. [1] [2] In January 2014, the Holdout closed its doors and was re-opened under the name Qilombo. [1] The new African American collective announced in a statement that the name change honored the first quilombos (from the Kimbundu word "kilombo"), communities of Maroons established between the 16th and 19th centuries in South America as refuges from slavery and colonialism. [3]

The collective aimed to represent the interests of Black and Brown people living locally. [4] Over the next four years, Qilombo hosted events and launched the Afrika Town neighborhood revitalization campaign. [5] It had a library and a freeshop; people could play chess and dominoes. [6] [7] [8] Classes were given on Swahili, literacy, Maroon history, garderning, spiritual health, yoga and poetry. [7] [8]

Afrika Town

Afrika Town Map Afrika Town Map.png
Afrika Town Map

Afrika Town (also spelled Afrikatown) was an initiative started by members of Qilombo in 2014 that aimed to resist gentrification and support local communities. [9] Programs included self-defense classes, free breakfasts, and needle exchange. [10] After a mural was painted on the wall of Qilombo from a neighboring empty lot in 2014, local people decided to make the wasteland into a garden. [9] Like Qilombo itself, the Afrika Town Garden was under threat of eviction because it was within the West Oakland Specific Plan (WOSP). [9] The garden was built on land owned by real estate investor Noel Yi; in 2015, he began a campaign to evict the garden. [11] The eviction process lasted three years. A court order dated March 5, 2018, granted a preliminary injunction in favor of Noel Yi, ordering Afrika Town to vacate the lot. [12]

Closure

The building housing Qilombo was purchased by real estate mogul Neil Sullivan, who was buying up properties in West Oakland through his company SMC East Bay. [13] In November 2016, SMC East Bay renewed their lease with Qilombo. However, after the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, they cancelled the agreement and sent city inspectors who told the project they could not organize public events. [14] [8] Qilombo resisted eviction and continued to occupy the space until January 9, 2019, when Alameda County officials accompanied the property managers to change the locks, closing it permanently. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alameda, California</span> Incorporated city in the state of California, United States

Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipelago in San Francisco Bay, consisting of Alameda Island, Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, along with other smaller islands. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 78,280.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley, California</span> City in California, United States

Berkeley is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emeryville to the south and the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington to the north. Its eastern border with Contra Costa County generally follows the ridge of the Berkeley Hills. The 2020 census recorded a population of 124,321.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland, California</span> City in Alameda County, California, United States

Oakland is the most populous city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the third-largest city overall in the Bay Area. With a population of 440,646 in 2020, it serves as the Bay Area's trade center: the Port of Oakland is the busiest port in Northern California, and the fifth- or sixth-busiest in the United States. A charter city, Oakland was incorporated on May 4, 1852.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alameda County, California</span> County in California, United States

Alameda County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Alameda County is in the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying much of the East Bay region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AK Press</span> American independent publisher

AK Press is a worker-managed, independent publisher and book distributor that specializes in publishing books about anarchism and the radical left. Operated out of Chico, California, the company is collectively owned.

Canyon, formerly known as Sequoya, is an unincorporated community located near the border of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the U.S. state of California. It is situated between Oakland and Moraga in the San Francisco Bay Area. The community is named for its location in the upper canyon of San Leandro Creek along the eastern slope of the Berkeley Hills. Canyon lies at an elevation of 1138 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bay</span> Eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, US

The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. With a population of roughly 2.5 million in 2010, it is the most populous subregion in the Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Oakland, Oakland, California</span> Neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda, California, United States

East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest portion of the city's land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Oakland, California</span> Neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda, California, United States

The Chinatown neighborhood in Oakland, California, is traditionally Chinese which reflects Oakland's diverse Chinese American, and more broadly Asian American community. It is frequently referred to as "Oakland Chinatown" in order to distinguish it from nearby San Francisco's Chinatown. It lies at an elevation of 39 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Street Oakland station</span> Metro station in Oakland, California, US

19th Street Oakland station is an underground Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located under Broadway between 17th Street and 20th Street in the Uptown District of Oakland, California. It is a timed transfer point between northbound trains to Richmond and to Antioch. It is the busiest BART station in both Oakland and the East Bay, and the 5th busiest BART station overall, with a daily ridership of approximately 4,700 in September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Ballpark</span> Proposed baseball stadium in Oakland, California

Howard Terminal Ballpark was a proposed baseball stadium to be built in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland, California. If approved and constructed, it would have served as the new home stadium of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball, replacing the Oakland Coliseum. The 34,000-seat stadium was the last of several proposals to keep the Athletics in Oakland. The site is currently a parcel of land owned by the Port of Oakland. After securing the site, the Athletics planned to have the stadium built and operational after the team's lease expired at the Oakland Coliseum in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluestockings (bookstore)</span> Collectively-owned bookstore, cafe, and activist center

Bluestockings is a radical bookstore, café, and activist center located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It started as a volunteer-supported and collectively owned bookstore; and is currently a worker-owned bookstore with mutual aid offerings/free store. The store started in 1999 as a feminist bookstore and was named for a group of Enlightenment intellectual women, the Bluestockings. Its founding location was 172 Allen Street, and is currently located a few blocks east on 116 Suffolk Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Farm Island, Alameda, California</span> Peninsula in the San Francisco East Bay, US

Bay Farm Island is a district of the city of Alameda, California, though it is separated from the rest of the city on Alameda Island by an estuary of San Leandro Bay. Its ZIP code is 94502. The location was originally an island in San Francisco Bay, but due to land reclamation it has become a peninsula and is now connected to the mainland of Oakland and Oakland International Airport. Marshes and other areas of the island were also reclaimed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Coliseum station</span> Rail station in Oakland, California, US

The station complex of Amtrak's Oakland Coliseum station and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)'s Coliseum station is located in the East Oakland area of Oakland, California, United States. The two stations, located about 600 feet (180 m) apart, are connected to each other and to the Oakland Coliseum/Oakland Arena sports complex with an accessible pedestrian bridge. The BART station is served by the Orange, Green Line, and Blue lines; the Amtrak station is served by the Capitol Corridor service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Oakland</span> Central business district of Oakland, California

Downtown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California, United States. It is located roughly bounded by both the Oakland Estuary and Interstate 880 on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lake Merritt on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exarcheia</span> Community in Attica, Greece

Exarcheia is a community in central Athens, Greece close to the historical building of the National Technical University of Athens. Exarcheia took its name from a 19th-century businessman named Exarchos who opened a large general store there. Exarcheia is bordered on the east by Kolonaki and is framed by Patission Street, Panepistimiou Street and Alexandras Avenue. Exarcheia is notorious for being Athens' historical core of radical political and intellectual activism. Exarcheia is often considered the anarchist quarter of Athens, known for its radical democracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastmont Town Center</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

Eastmont Town Center is a shopping mall and social services hub located on 33 acres (130,000 m2) bounded by Foothill Boulevard, Bancroft Avenue, 73rd Avenue, and Church Street, in the Frick neighborhood of East Oakland. The mall opened in phases between 1966 and 1974 on the site of a 1920s-era Chevrolet automobile factory called Oakland Assembly. Architect William Pereira designed the building. It is physically almost next to, and by entry access a few blocks away from the similarly sized Evergreen Cemetery. The official grand opening ceremony was held in November 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting in England and Wales</span> Occupation of unused land or derelict buildings in England and Wales

In England and Wales, squatting—taking possession of land or an empty house the squatter does not own—occurs for a variety of reasons which include needing a home, protest, poverty, and recreation. Many squats are residential; some are also opened as social centres. Land may be occupied by New Age travellers or treesitters.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Oakland, California</span>

The history of Oakland, a city in the county of Alameda, California, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement by Horace Carpentier, Edson Adams, and Andrew Moon in the 19th century. The area now known as Oakland had seen human occupation for thousands of years, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the city did not occur until the Industrial Revolution. Oakland was first incorporated as a town in 1852.

References

  1. 1 2 Mary (May 19, 2016). "Come to the Afrikatown Anti-Eviction Block Party on May 28". San Francisco Bay View. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Best Anarchist Hangout". East Bay Express. July 18, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Announcing the Opening of the Qilombo Community Social Center". Anarchist News. August 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Qilombo". Resist. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ Tittle, Chris; Dell, Van (April 17, 2017). "Afrikatown Tour and Land Liberation Strategy Session". Sustainable Economies Law Center. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Featured Organization: Cantíl". Open Space. SF MOMA. June 19, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Carl, Chelsea (February 11, 2023). "As a Teacher Who Dreams of Liberatory Education, This Is What Gives Me Hope". Truthout. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Dalmas, Jeremy (March 2, 2017). "Oakland event spaces fight city over bureaucracy and inspections". KALW. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Fireworks (April 8, 2015). "Cultivating resistance in AfrikaTown, West Oakland". San Francisco Bay View. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  10. ↑ Kay, Terri (April 12, 2015). "Activists save Community Garden, for now". Workers World. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Tsai, Luke (April 3, 2015). "West Oakland Activists Vow to Defend Afrika Town Community Garden". East Bay Express. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ YI v. AFRIKA TOWN GARDENING COLLECTIVE, Leagle (Court of Appeals of California, First District, Division FourMarch 5, 2018).
  13. ↑ BondGraham, Darwin (April 2, 2014). "Neill Sullivan's Oakland". East Bay Express. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ Levin, Sam (January 4, 2017). "Underground arts scene threatened by widespread evictions after Oakland fire". The Guardian. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ Id, Dave (February 1, 2019). "Oakland community center raided by police". Street Spirit. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.