Keep the Porta Potty in Driver's Plaza

Driver's plaza is a public space in North Oakland at the intersection of Adeline and Stanford.
For the last 12 years, The Self Help Hunger program run by Auntie Frances and a group of activists have been organizing in this space with the purpose of building community, helping those in need, bringing resources together in the spirit of the Black Panther Party.
For the last 10 years, The Self Help Hunger program has been trying to obtain a Porta Potty for this public space. For 10 years we received NO as an answer from all Public Organizations (council members, the Park Administration, etc.) In 2017 with the help of the community, a Porta Potty was installed. 3 months later it was removed by the city, citing as a reason that it was a eye sore.
A few months ago, after numerous efforts again, the Driver Plaza got a new Porta Potty from Dignity Village. This miracle lasted for just a few weeks, since we heard that the city intends to remove the Porta potty again after pressure from certain neighbors.
We ask you to stand with the Driver Plaza community and demand that we keep our right to dignity. Sign this petition asking Oakland council members to grant us access to a basic, minimum hygiene.
In return, we'll make our best to beautify the Porta Potty and minimize it's impact on the aesthetics of the park and neighborhood.

Here are just a few of the things happening in this community space:
- Free produce market. Anyone can come and have access to fresh free produce;
- A weekly communal meal offered by Auntie Frances and her volunteers - feeding both homeless and homed poor community.
- Housing resource. With the help with Mana from Heaven, The Self Help Hunger program puts homeless elder, recently hospitalized people and mothers with children in contact with temporary housing resources and a path to permanent housing.
- Monthly hygiene and produce supplies for homeless and housed neighbors. Together with other non profits from North Oakland, the Self Help Hunger program participates in drives that collect and distribute hygiene and food supplies to our unhoused neighbors.
- Resource hub. We provide the space for people to offer their resources to the community - whether it's food, healing therapy, housing resources.
- Gardening projects. The plot next to the driver's plaza has been a barren lot for a long time. Again, with the efforts of the community, we've planted and maintained the landscape. However, we were not granted access to the water line accessible on site, so all water needs come from outside.
- Beautification of the plaza. We work constantly to clean and improve the space we use. We've brought proper garbage receptacles and we clean every day, in order to make sure our space is in best shape.