Overview
- The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday night to install plastic barricades that will block northbound turns from International Boulevard onto 9th, 10th and 11th avenues for six months as a pilot.
- Vehicles will still be able to reach those blocks from East 15th Street and the city will monitor data during the pilot to judge whether the closures reduce trafficking or move activity elsewhere.
- Supporters, including Councilmember Charlene Wang, framed the change as a way to concentrate buyer behavior on the main road so Oakland Police can better spot and arrest traffickers.
- Local business owners and some residents warned the closures will hurt auto shops and other drive-up businesses, cut customer access, and simply displace sex work to other blocks.
- The move builds on past barricade efforts that reduced activity at specific intersections but left visible sex work nearby, and city leaders say the pilot will be paired with enforcement and victim services while its effectiveness is evaluated.