Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Oakland homeless camp resembles a developing country's slum

    The High Street homeless encampment in Oakland is a sprawling slum next to a Home Depot parking lot. There are tarps and tents as far as the eye can see.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Dec 17, 2019 • 1 min read

    The High Street homeless encampment in Oakland is a sprawling slum next to a Home Depot parking lot. There are tarps and tents as far as the eye can see. A United Nations official toured it recently and said it looked like shantytowns in Delhi, India. A hundred or so people live there, in shacks or trailers cobbled together from stuff found in dumpsters. There are no toilets, running water or electricity. We speak with journalist Thomas Fuller, who spent three months documenting the conditions at this camp.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Thomas Fuller

      San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times

      NewsHomelessnessLos AngelesCalifornia
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand