Police, city launch major Oakland Estuary cleanup, crime crackdown

By Da Lin

After years of complaints about abandoned boats, illegal anchor-outs and crime along the Oakland Estuary, the city is stepping up enforcement and removing dozens of derelict vessels from the water.

More than 50 sunken, derelict and surrendered vessels have been removed from the estuary this year, according to Oakland police. The department plans to remove another 16 boats over the next two weeks.

For Heather Krakora, executive director of the East Bay Rowing Club at the Jack London Aquatic Center, the cleanup represents a major change for a waterfront that she said had been neglected for years.

“No more drug dealing, no more human trafficking, no more dog feces being dumped in the water,” Krakora said.

The rowing club’s adult and youth athletes have spent years navigating an increasingly crowded waterway, where so-called anchor-outs — people living on boats moored in the estuary — became a growing presence.

Krakora said what began as a housing alternative eventually became intertwined with crime and encampments near the rowing center.

“You’d have drug dealing that was happening. A lot of this was happening in unison with encampments that were in the parking lot. And the kids are seeing all of it,” she said.

The Oakland Police Department’s marine unit partnered with the San Francisco Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, California Fish and Wildlife, and the Marine County Sheriff’s Department in the latest cleanup efforts. Officer Ryan Smith of the OPD Marine Unit said removing boats before they sink is critical because the cost increases substantially once they are underwater.

“It costs about five times the amount once they sink to remove them from the estuary,” Smith said.

The city modified its ordinance this year following complaints and lawsuits related to the removal and destruction of abandoned boats. Oakland police also increased staffing for its marine unit from one officer to three, allowing the department to more effectively enforce the law on the water.

Police Chief James Beere said some anchor-outs were also involved in burglarizing boats docked in nearby marinas.

“They were modern day pirates, committing crimes from the boats and onto the shore,” Beere said.

Police said some people came from as far away as Sacramento and San Jose because they knew enforcement on the estuary was limited. Beere said officers encountered serious criminal activity aboard some of the boats.

“These boats that were anchored out, some of them were mobile meth labs, some had weapons on them. It wasn’t uncommon for officers to board boats and come in contact with people with assault rifles, pistols,” Beere said.

Mary Spicer of I Heart Oakland Alameda Estuary said the cleanup has made her feel safer and gives her hope for the future of the waterfront. Her organization and about 120 volunteers recently cleaned up the shores and picked up several thousand pounds of garbage from the estuary.

“As far as feeling safer, 100% safer. It uplifts my heart because if our shores are healthy, our community is healthy,” Spicer said.

City officials said the enforcement effort is part of an effort to reclaim Oakland’s waterfront. But Krakora said she remains cautious about declaring victory, particularly after years of inconsistent enforcement.

“What city doesn’t value its waterfront? And that’s kind of what it felt like. [And I still feel that way.] I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m really thankful for all of these changes,” she said.

Krakora and others worry enforcement could eventually be scaled back, as it was in the past.

Beere, however, has promised that Oakland police will sustain enforcement efforts and continue working to keep the estuary safe.