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Caron Creighton is a journalist and filmmaker residing in Oakland, California. Caron has worked for The Associated Press, AJ+, KCBS Radio and The San Francisco Chronicle and has lectured at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She has reported on the struggles faced by Eritrean migrants in Israel, and West African migration through Latin America. Much of her work is focused on displacement within the African diaspora, as informed by her identity.
Help us to support the WOOD STREET community rallying together in an attempt to change things for the better
Wood Street shows a year in the life of Oakland’s largest homeless encampment as there’s a countdown to evict them. Members of the community come together to file lawsuits, attend city council meetings, and camp outside city hall. Despite eventually losing their community, WOOD STREET is an empowering story of unhoused organizing that has never before been told.
The story follows John Janosko and LaMonté Ford. They lead the resistance movement, and face challenges organizing a diverse community struggling with addiction and mental health issues. Amid their organizing to stop the eviction, the community meets with the city to discuss plans for a temporary shelter site. But ultimately, they are unsuccessful in changing a broken system, and saving their community.
California provides millions of dollars in grants to cities to forcibly remove unhoused people from sight. But cities like Oakland often don’t keep track of the results, offering limited data on how many people actually move into permanent housing. WOOD STREET is an empowering example of a community rallying together in an attempt to change things for the better.
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