OCO History

In 1972, Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) was established as the organizing project of PICO founders, Fathers. John Baumann, S.J. and Jerry Helfrich S.J. From 1972-1977, Baumann and Helfrich focused on building neighborhood organizations in West Oakland, San Antonio Fruitvale, Central East Oakland from 50th to 80th Streets, and Elmhurst area. Neighborhood after neighborhood worked on issues like junkyards, stray dogs, prostitution, zoning, crime and vacant housing. It was the 1,100 vacant houses in Oakland at the time that brought neighborhood leaders together and planted the seeds of OCO. On May 14, 1977 over 1,000 people gathered at Merritt College to officially give birth to OCO, articulating the faith values that today are the foundation of our organizing principles.

For the next eight years, OCO operated successfully as a neighborhood based organization, bringing people together around local and citywide issues. During this period, major victories were achieved:

•  Housing Rehab programs renovated 400 once-vacant houses.
•  OCO citywide campaign led to a district election of council persons.
•  Port of Oakland initiated a minority hiring program.
•  Developed over 100 units of housing affordable for first time homeowners.
•  Supported the City's implementation of the "Hire Oakland First Program" that is still in existence today.

In 1985, with the support of PICO, OCO began the transition from a neighborhood-organizing model to a congregation community-based model of organizing. Using this model, OCO developed strong local organizations in seven congregations. In 1987, OCO gathered over 2,000 people for our first citywide action, launching a campaign to address Oakland's drug epidemic. Our accomplishments in the l980s include:

•  Police established the "Beat Health Unit." Operating throughout the City, the Beat Health Unit quickly demolished its first crack house and forced the closing of 1,000 more.
•  The city, county, and state adopted new enforcement, treatment and prevention measures to address the drug epidemic.
•  OCO was formally recognized by the White House for its citywide anti-drug campaign.
•  Mayor Harris signed "Covenant with OCO" creating community-based policing and opened the first police substation for rapid drug enforcement.
•  In the 1990s, OCO leaders turned their attention on the root causes of poverty in Oakland and focused on developing sustainable solutions for complex problems, organizing between 2,000 and 2,500 people for major citywide action that resulted in:

•  Aviation High School, a pilot school-to-work transition program, which prepared high school students for real jobs in the transportation field.
•  $6.6 million in new street lighting, creation of the first charter school in Oakland, and a major truancy reduction program.
•  Through the Hope Campaign, secured class size reduction to 20 students in kindergarten through 3rd grade and 15 homework centers serving 600 students.
•  Brought a new grocery store to West Oakland and $8.2 million to revitalize Gateway (Acorn) Shopping Plaza that also employed 50 local residents.
•  Organized and opened three charter schools serving 800 students.

At the beginning of 2000, OCO researched and developed one of the only community-driven school reform efforts in the United States. However, other issues were not left behind. In November of 2001, OCO brought 3,000 people together to urge Mayor Brown to address housing, education, and safety concerns of our families. Results in this millennium include:

•  Developed and passed the New Small Autonomous Schools (NSAS) Policy and helped to secure $300 million local school bond money for the construction of new small, autonomous schools.
•  OCO reform partners, BayCES, awarded $17 million in Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds to support New Small Autonomous Schools.
•  Opened fifteen new small schools from 2001 to present, serving 3700 students with more schools planned for the coming years.

Restructured two Oakland High Schools; Castlemont High School is reconfiguring into Small Learning Communities, and Fremont High School is restructured into five new small interconnected schools within a school.