How to not pay rent

Instead of waiting around for a solution to California’s housing crisis, about a decade ago Violet Thorns decided to move into one of the hundreds of vacant homes scattered throughout Oakland. During the Occupy era, she was part of a loose network of dozens of squats, but since then nearly all of those were evicted as local property values soared. After her community crumbled, Violet found herself living in a squalid, burned out building with no money and few resources. As a trans woman she was desperate to remain in the Bay Area, despite not being able to afford this region’s astronomical rents. Then one day, she noticed a vacant lot on a residential street that was so overgrown with fennel that she knew the owners hadn’t been there for years.

Today’s episode is about how Violet built a tiny home and a thriving garden on that abandoned land and gotten away with living there for nearly eight years without paying rent. Listen now to hear about the rise and fall of an anarchic squatting scene, how to deal with angry landlords, the Gold Rush-era laws squatters use to stave off evictions, guerilla gardening tips, and much more. Available on Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts.

East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your support. Please donate to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday

Violet grows many of the native plants for her herbal apothecary in her garden and stores the medicines in the tiny home she constructed. Although many of her friends have been forced out of Oakland due to increased rents, she feels rooted here: “I love being in the Bay Area with my chosen family… It’s such a trans mecca. Where else would I go?”

The East Bay’s long history of squatting goes back to Oakland’s founding fathers, who moved onto land owned by the Peralta Family before officially incorporating the town. Many years later, Violet was part of network of squats that thrived during the Occupy era. Between 2010-2015, nearly all of the squats in this scene ended due to eviction, police and landlord violence, infighting, substance abuse, or a combination of all these factors.

If you enjoyed this podcast and want to hear more about local squatting history, check out this 2019 episode: “This strange monument”: The story behind one of Oakland’s most prominent abandoned buildings.

East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your support. Please donate to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday

A podcast about history

A century of mysteries

Freight trains, plants, and a vanishing world