July 27th 2023.
Uncle Willie's Original BBQ & Fish was a beloved restaurant in Oakland, California. The Black-owned business was a fixture on 14th Street, frequented by community members and well known for its smoky Texas-style barbecue. Unfortunately, the restaurant has now shuttered for good, becoming another casualty of corporate expansion.
The Thomas family, who owned the restaurant, has filed a lawsuit against the hospitality chain, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, alleging that the building’s construction caused the restaurant to suffer a loss of revenue. They issued an official statement saying, “What they won’t share at the grand opening is how their development destroyed an African American family-owned business that served the Oakland community for almost two decades.”
The Marriott Hotel began construction on the new high-rise in 2020, located beside the now-defunct Uncle Willie’s. According to former owner Beverly Ann Thomas, the construction resulted in debris falling into her dining area, including dangerous equipment such as a box cutter, metal panels, and several pieces of plastic. Moreover, the Thomas family claims that the development caused damage to their property and even drove out one on-site tenant.
The lawsuit is part of a larger effort to combat what Oakland residents feel is the erasure of Black businesses. Clifford Fried, an attorney representing the Thomas family, spoke outside of Uncle Willie’s during a press conference on June 29. He said, “The Thomas family intends on prosecuting the lawsuit they’ve filed to recover fair compensation for the damage to the building, their business, and all the emotional turmoil that they’ve been forced to endure.”
The Marriott Hotel's construction has raised concern amongst the community. 14th Street is home to Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District, and part of the city’s incentive to preserve historic and culturally-significant Black businesses. Geoffrey Pete, the founder and owner of Geofrey’s Inner Circle, spoke at a planning commission meeting earlier this year about Marriott’s expansion into the neighborhood. He said, “This building poses a grave danger to the historic building next to it.”
The Thomas family had been approached by the hotel’s developers in 2018, requesting to buy their land and air rights. However, they declined. The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated many establishments, and residents are worried that the area’s revitalization comes at too steep a cost. Craig Jones, Thomas’ son, said, “It’s sad because not a lot of African American businesses are around in Oakland anymore because of big development.”
The lawsuit filed by the Thomas family is an effort to reclaim what has been lost and protect the community from corporate expansion and gentrification. We can only hope that justice is served and that the vibrant community of Oakland is preserved.
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