Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC) is a multi-racial, grassroots organization building community leadership to achieve justice for low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents.

On January 1, 2010, St. Peter’s Housing Committee and Just Cause Oakland merged to form Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC). Prior to the merger, St. Peter’s Housing Committee had been working for more than 25 years defending tenants’ and immigrant rights and fighting gentrification in San Francisco’s Mission District. Just Cause Oakland emerged from the Prop EE campaign ten years ago and began its work to build people’s power and defend housing rights. Our two organizations have been working together ever since.

Over the years, we have developed parallel campaigns around housing, anti-gentrification and community development in our respective cities. We have engaged in numerous joint discussions about our organizational models and our analyses of the problems in our communities. Our members have participated in joint actions, and they have built relationships at countless conferences and meetings. Through those years of shared work, we have built an incredibly strong foundation; we have a high degree of political unity, a solid working relationship, strong personal relationships and complementary organizational models. This foundation put us in an ideal place to take our visionary work to the next level in this crucial historical moment. 

A key motivation for our merger is our shared commitment to building deep solidarity between the African American and Latino communities in San Francisco and Oakland. We believe that Black-Brown unity is foundational for the development of a vibrant grassroots movement. We know from experience that such unity is forged through real relationships and shared struggle. With a broad base among African American Oakland residents, Just Cause Oakland has fought dozens of inspiring campaigns for housing rights. Across the Bay, St. Peter’s Housing Committee has lead successful tenant advocacy and organizing among San Francisco’s Latino community for almost three decades. Our organizational merger sets the stage to magnify our victories and confront divisions that stall our movements. Together, we can win real justice.

The next chapter of our history is being written right now, as we integrate our three offices, build a unified membership and continue to strengthen our deep neighborhood-based work among San Francisco and Oakland’s poor and working communities.