7-Eleven security guard killed in Oakland had gotten on his feet after homelessness

When James Johnson worked as a security guard at the 7-Eleven on Harrison Street, he’d watch customers giving disparaging looks to the homeless people who frequented the store area asking for spare change.

Piedmont Exedra

One man’s compassionate crusade to keep homeless camps free of trash

The Urban Park Cleanup effort might sound like a city-funded program, but it’s the work of a man who had been on the streets himself and decided to address the trash accumulating at the homeless camps dotted around Oakland.

East Bay Times

East Bay man beats long odds, starts Urban Park Cleanup

Vincent Ray Williams III’s life story reads like a skewed, contemporary take on the children’s tale, “This Is The House That Jack Built.