Acorn

Acorn is an infamous housing project in Oakland. It, like many such projects in Oakland, is associated with Hughey Newton and the Black Panthers who helped to create it. You may remember that during the 2008 presidential campagn there were attempts to tie Obama to ACORN, a group that tries to help poor income folks find housing. The group has since lost federal funding, but this neighborhood is named after them.

The two high rises by the freeway in this neighborhood were built as low income housing by Acorn backers. Unfortunately, this has not been a wholly successful venture. The residents of the area are chronically poor and seem to have little chance of escaping lifetime poverty.

The area has also been plagued by gang problems—with the Acorn street gang taking its name from the location where they were born.

That said, the Acorn feels cleaner and better kept than most neighborhoods with similar economic statistics. St. Vincent Day School has beautifully maintained facilities including not only the usual basketball courts but also a swimming pool. The row housing on the eastern end of the neighborhood looks clean and orderly though not particularly inviting. It is not the sort of place that you would choose to live, but if you did not have anywhere to call home and had a family to take care of, I think this would be a life saver.