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Agenda Item
S.-5 25-1314 Approval by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2425-0132 - Declaring an Emergency and Authorizing District Staff to Enter into Contracts for Emergency Construction Services for The Repair of Dangerous Conditions at Various Sites Via Demolition of Existing Structures. *
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*4/5 Vote [5] Required
I am a resident of the Ralph Bunche neighborhood, right across the street from the former Ralph Bunche academy campus. There have been fires 3 times within the past week, two of which happening in the middle of the night. The most recent fire started to spread into nearby trees endangering nearby businesses. The remaining campus is not the academy it once was and is a danger for the neighborhood. Our community has been putting in time and money to maintain and protect the area to the best of our ability by mowing grass and buying locks for the gates as they get broken. The demolition of this building will help close this chapter of danger and open the door to a new chapter of coming together as a community to rebuild.
Dear OUSD school board: I have lived next door to Ralph Bunche school and I never could have imagined that it could come to this. The building has been ransacked burned many times over graffiti and abandoned in the most horrible disrespectful way. The school faces beautiful Defremery Park, the very heart of West Oakland. NextOther neighors include the West Oakland Senior Center and the West Oakland library. This is a disgrace to the city of Oakland. The school is way beyond anything reparable. My neighbors have sent photos and videos of the latest developments: one fire after another huge flames right next to our building. I can’t even imagine how much it has cost the Oakland Fire Dept to come and respond to these incidents.
The school is way beyond repair. It needs to be torn down and something positive needs to be built in its place. Something that we need as residents of West Oakland and we deserve residents of Wegst Oakland.
I am a neighbor of the Ralph Bunche Academy building and am including my comments in full support of demolition. Over the past few months, this building has gone from a quiet, slowly deteriorating campus to a magnet for graffiti, break-ins, repeated arson resulting in fully involved fires, and self-proclaimed urban explorers, some of whom are clearly minors. Classroom equipment, furniture, and curriculum have been strewn all over the campus and the surrounding streets. This campus has not only become an attractive nuisance, but has also become a serious fire and safety hazard for those of us who live in its proximity, and those who insist on trespassing. The only responsible thing to do is to demolish it, minimizing the danger and also minimizing the school district's liability for the harm caused by leaving it in the state it's currently in.
The RJB school site is an unsafe, ongoing risk that poses danger to the community. 3 fires last week alone (10 since 1/1/25). It is a physical and health risk to property and individuals. Beyond this hazard, it is magnet to criminal activity and squatting. OUSD has been lucky that fires have been contain but can no longer ignore this issue. School sight must be demolished immediately or the district could be facing property neglect fine and possible lawsuits if their negligence causes neighboring properties damage or people injury
As a neighbor of the Ralph J. Bunche Academy site, I am writing in full, urgent support of its immediate demolition. For years, we've watched this school fall into dangerous disrepair—what remains now is not a building, but a blight. It’s structurally unsafe, frequently trespassed, and has become a magnet for fires and vandalism. The longer it stands, the more it endangers the people who live nearby, those seeking shelter inside, and the first responders who may have to enter it next.
This isn’t just about removing an eyesore—it’s about reclaiming our neighborhood’s dignity and safety. Demolishing this structure is the only responsible course of action. But demolition is just the first step. I strongly urge the District to turn this land over to the Parks and Recreation Department so it can be transformed into something better —not another burned-out husk dragging down the spirit of our neighborhood.
Let’s end the neglect. Tear it down and build something better. We’re ready.
The abandoned facilities has caused much harm in recent times. With the multiple fires, frequent trashing, and the complete lack of upkeep has created a hazardous and dangerous environment for not only for the community, but the people who actually live adjacent to the abandoned school. My support for the demolition of the school is based on safety. If there are no plans to restore the building, it’s in the best interest of the public to rid of it immediately. It attracts pests, hazardous waste, and other unwelcome environmental hazards. I cannot emphasize this enough. Please move forward with demolishing this building.
I live across the street from Ralph Bunche school and part of why I bought my home was because of my regard and admiration for the education happening there. I am deeply sorrowful that the suddents were moved and have always hoped they would come back.
However, I have watched for the past five years as the building has been left unattended by the district and the infrastructure of the building has been stripped of its copper wire and any other possible item of value. And now it is regularly set on fire. Monthly, weekly and now it is a nearly daily occurrence.
I wanted to live across from this school, but the building is beyond safe repair is now a danger to the library next door as well as the homes and businesses surrounding it and the new senior housing coming up at the end of the block. Please don't let our neighborhood catch fire out of respect for the buildings past, we can do something more meaningful like build teacher housing with this land.
I live behind the Ralph Bunche academy and my neighbors and I have been fighting an uphill battle against thieves, graffiti and fires for a while now. We mow the law, install locks at our own cost, etc. But now it’s just a mess of charred remains and more potential fires (already had 3 separate fires this last WEEK alone). Please get rid of it and put something useful there or cede it to the park across the street! Thank you.
I am a resident of the Ralph Bunche neighborhood, right across the street from the former Ralph Bunche academy campus. There have been fires 3 times within the past week, two of which happening in the middle of the night. The most recent fire started to spread into nearby trees endangering nearby businesses. The remaining campus is not the academy it once was and is a danger for the neighborhood. Our community has been putting in time and money to maintain and protect the area to the best of our ability by mowing grass and buying locks for the gates as they get broken. The demolition of this building will help close this chapter of danger and open the door to a new chapter of coming together as a community to rebuild.
Dear OUSD school board: I have lived next door to Ralph Bunche school and I never could have imagined that it could come to this. The building has been ransacked burned many times over graffiti and abandoned in the most horrible disrespectful way. The school faces beautiful Defremery Park, the very heart of West Oakland. NextOther neighors include the West Oakland Senior Center and the West Oakland library. This is a disgrace to the city of Oakland. The school is way beyond anything reparable. My neighbors have sent photos and videos of the latest developments: one fire after another huge flames right next to our building. I can’t even imagine how much it has cost the Oakland Fire Dept to come and respond to these incidents.
The school is way beyond repair. It needs to be torn down and something positive needs to be built in its place. Something that we need as residents of West Oakland and we deserve residents of Wegst Oakland.
I am a neighbor of the Ralph Bunche Academy building and am including my comments in full support of demolition. Over the past few months, this building has gone from a quiet, slowly deteriorating campus to a magnet for graffiti, break-ins, repeated arson resulting in fully involved fires, and self-proclaimed urban explorers, some of whom are clearly minors. Classroom equipment, furniture, and curriculum have been strewn all over the campus and the surrounding streets. This campus has not only become an attractive nuisance, but has also become a serious fire and safety hazard for those of us who live in its proximity, and those who insist on trespassing. The only responsible thing to do is to demolish it, minimizing the danger and also minimizing the school district's liability for the harm caused by leaving it in the state it's currently in.
The RJB school site is an unsafe, ongoing risk that poses danger to the community. 3 fires last week alone (10 since 1/1/25). It is a physical and health risk to property and individuals. Beyond this hazard, it is magnet to criminal activity and squatting. OUSD has been lucky that fires have been contain but can no longer ignore this issue. School sight must be demolished immediately or the district could be facing property neglect fine and possible lawsuits if their negligence causes neighboring properties damage or people injury
As a neighbor of the Ralph J. Bunche Academy site, I am writing in full, urgent support of its immediate demolition. For years, we've watched this school fall into dangerous disrepair—what remains now is not a building, but a blight. It’s structurally unsafe, frequently trespassed, and has become a magnet for fires and vandalism. The longer it stands, the more it endangers the people who live nearby, those seeking shelter inside, and the first responders who may have to enter it next.
This isn’t just about removing an eyesore—it’s about reclaiming our neighborhood’s dignity and safety. Demolishing this structure is the only responsible course of action. But demolition is just the first step. I strongly urge the District to turn this land over to the Parks and Recreation Department so it can be transformed into something better —not another burned-out husk dragging down the spirit of our neighborhood.
Let’s end the neglect. Tear it down and build something better. We’re ready.
The abandoned facilities has caused much harm in recent times. With the multiple fires, frequent trashing, and the complete lack of upkeep has created a hazardous and dangerous environment for not only for the community, but the people who actually live adjacent to the abandoned school. My support for the demolition of the school is based on safety. If there are no plans to restore the building, it’s in the best interest of the public to rid of it immediately. It attracts pests, hazardous waste, and other unwelcome environmental hazards. I cannot emphasize this enough. Please move forward with demolishing this building.
I live across the street from Ralph Bunche school and part of why I bought my home was because of my regard and admiration for the education happening there. I am deeply sorrowful that the suddents were moved and have always hoped they would come back.
However, I have watched for the past five years as the building has been left unattended by the district and the infrastructure of the building has been stripped of its copper wire and any other possible item of value. And now it is regularly set on fire. Monthly, weekly and now it is a nearly daily occurrence.
I wanted to live across from this school, but the building is beyond safe repair is now a danger to the library next door as well as the homes and businesses surrounding it and the new senior housing coming up at the end of the block. Please don't let our neighborhood catch fire out of respect for the buildings past, we can do something more meaningful like build teacher housing with this land.
I live behind the Ralph Bunche academy and my neighbors and I have been fighting an uphill battle against thieves, graffiti and fires for a while now. We mow the law, install locks at our own cost, etc. But now it’s just a mess of charred remains and more potential fires (already had 3 separate fires this last WEEK alone). Please get rid of it and put something useful there or cede it to the park across the street! Thank you.