Obituary
Train Kills Local Activist

Longtime Bay Area activist and founder of the locally based Bread Project Lucie Buchbinder died Tuesday after being struck by an Amtrak train in Oakland. She was 83.

Buchbinder was one of a number of people crossing the train tracks near Jack London Square against lowered gates and flashing warning lights after a freight train had passed when she was hit by a train coming in the opposite direction, Oakland police Officer Roland Holmgren said in an e-mail.

Oakland Fire Department and American Medical Response officers arrived on the scene to find Buchbinder unconscious and suffering from serious injuries, Holmgren said.

She was transported to Highland General Hospital in critical condition, he said, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Buchbinder was born into a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria but was sent to live in England during the Nazi reign.

She then moved with her family to Sacramento and later briefly taught English at UC Berekeley, said Lily Divito, the executive director of the Bread Project, which Buchbinder co-founded along with friend Susan Phillips in 2000.

The Bread Project, a nonprofit organization that opened its doors in Berkeley in 2003, teaches low-income residents to bake while simultaneously instructing its clientele in general business skills to help them attain and keep jobs, Divito said.

“When she first started, Lucie did everything for the Bread Project,” Divito said. “She was such a hard worker.”

Before founding the Bread Project, Buchbinder spent much of her life working with subsidized housing projects, Divito said.

Buchbinder most recently handled the business side of the Bread Project, according to Divito, teaching life skills to the the program’s participants.

“Lucie was a very inspirational person,” Divito said. “She worked like she was 20, even at her age. She would always go the extra mile for those who needed her help.”

Amtrak spokesperson Vernae Graham said Amtrak has completed its investigation into the incident, which she said showed that all involved personnel followed proper procedure.

The Capital Corridor train No. 541, which originates near Sacramento and runs to San Jose, was traveling approximately 20 mph, within the 25 mph maximum speed limit, Graham said.

The train’s engineer, whose name Amtrak has not released, has been granted indefinite leave and has yet to return to work, Graham said.

“It’s so traumatic,” she said. “When someone is on the tracks, all you can do is apply the brakes and wait.” Oakland City Councilmember Nancy J. Nadel said she has called the city attorney’s office to propose an investigation, but said she has not yet received a reply.

Buchbinder is survived by her husband Martin Dreyfuss and four children.

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