Residents protest closure of Oakland, California, recycling center

KALW, a public radio station in San Francisco, reports homeless residents of Oakland are petitioning against the Aug. 20, 2016, closure of Glass King recycling center.  

The center has amassed $17,000 in fines, largely because of the obstruction of traffic caused by recyclers’ shopping carts. The city agreed to waive these fines on the condition the center close, the station reports. 

Supporters of the center launched a petition for the city to grant the center extra time to relocate. 

Alan Schlosser of the ACLU writes in a letter to Mayor Libby Schaff: “Government actions that have such an adverse impact on vulnerable groups deserve special scrutiny—not just from courts but from local governments.”  

The petition also was influenced by the film Dogtown Redemption by Amir Soltani, which documents the people who rely on money received from the center.