COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

evitalization projects in the community or attend Neighborhood Association meetings.
They were committed to organizing the poor and picketing and lobbying against
legislation they felt from their perspective would negatively impact the poor.
Non-profit Organizations in Oak Park
In addition to community groups in Oak Park, there are a also variety of
professional organizations working to improve the quality of life for residents, such as
local non-profit organizations composed of employees and volunteers. Non-profits
provide resources for residents and provide residents with a “sense of community.” They
are gathering spots for residents to come together as well as places where the low-income
can find consistent forms of support. Non-profit organizations, such as the Sacramento
Food Bank, the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center, and the Imani Clinic
provide food, emergency shelter, and free health clinic services to the poor. Residents
know these organizations will offer a consistent form of support in their neighborhood.
The locations of many of these organizations are not easy to spot in the neighborhood
because they often resemble homes and vacant buildings. Faith-based organizations,
such as neighborhood churches also fill a role by providing resources for residents and
many churches have their own food and clothing closets. Non-profit organizations are
plentiful in lower-income neighborhoods because these services are in close proximity to
the poor.
Many middle-class residents do not know these social services exist in the
community because the poor use public space in their neighborhood differently. The
poor are invisible to middle-class residents. And the poor gain knowledge of the local
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