Early Chinese laborers in Fruitvale

During the late 1800s, Chinese laborers were scattered throughout Oakland because job opportunities were dispersed and limited. Some of these laborers took up residence and found work farming and/or selling produce grown in the fruit orchards and vegetable gardens of Fruitvale. These produce peddlers would often carry two large baskets — each filled with 100 pounds of produce — all over the East Bay, which earned them the nickname "the Basket Brigade."

However, anti-Chinese sentiment was strong at this time, particularly among (predominantly White) business competitors, such as the Merchant’s Exchange and Free Market of Oakland. Widespread prejudice influenced the creation of local laws that pushed Chinese laborers out of a variety of industries. In 1891, Oakland City Ordinance 1298 banned the vending of produce on the streets of Oakland.