“When I got kicked out of my house, I went to the ‘bandos and found somewhere to sleep. There were other people there at night too, I saw someone stripping copper wire once.” Name withheld, 19 years old. Oil on paper, 11” x 18”
“What I like about hanging on the ‘bandos’ (teenage word for abandoned base) is that we can do whatever. It’s also cool thinking about what life was like- who lived here?” W, age 17. From the Series “Base to the Bandos”. Oil on paper. 11” x 14”
“There were tons of kids on the base. We played together all the time, tag, hide and seek, kick the can. We shared stories about other bases we had lived on.” D, moved to the base in 1977. Oil on paper. 11” x14”.
“All of us kids would gather at the big park to socialize. Or to play. We had plenty of Little League games at the field behind my house. I especially liked the concession stand. We would buy candy during the games.” C, lived in North Housing 1974-1
“There were lots of places to just chill. Everyone knew everyone and your siblings were friends with your friends siblings. Meeting new people all the time and crying when your best friend had to move to another station.” LD, lived in North Housing
“A silly memory I have of North Housing was in the 3rd grade. I loved that they had big enclosed front porches. They were fun to play in, scare people and pretend the porch was our house (playhouse).” G, lived in North Housing in the 1980’s. Oil on
“Elementary years you didn't have long time friends because families would come and go every 2 years or so. Most kids were military because the school was on base. In 3rd grade they built the new George P. Miller school in North housing. That was ni
Why are we the last ones to get taken care of- Whats going to happen to us- You want to fix everything around us to make waterfront views - When we walk out every morning we see white people walking their dogs, white people riding their bikes to th
“There were some people in Alameda who didn’t want the Navy base in town. They didn’t like the idea of ‘these drunken sailors’ in their community. So being able to have our own separate little town gave us a sense of home.” Name withheld, lived on t
“ I grew up a navy brat. Came to live on north housing in the 3rd grade. I lived on Annapolis circle. It was the best place to live. Tons of kids. Met a few boys there. Break dancing was popular in jr high back then so we had battles on our card b
“I lived on another base where it was partially abandoned. It felt haunted, like someone was following me. When I first moved to Alameda, living next to abandoned housing felt normal, almost welcoming. “ Name withheld, 18, currently lives in adjacen
“We has many different cultures in North Housing, but got along well. We sometimes felt isolated from the rest of town. I think we were categorized along with the Esperanzas and the Buena Vistas as if we were low class because we lived on ‘that side
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