Reflections on Lake Merritt is a documentary film that explores the complex history of property and power in the United States through an examination of conflicts (past and present) around one body of water - Oakland, California's famous "Lake Merritt". By zooming in on this one body of water, the film weaves the history of colonialism and the American west into a complex tapestry of contemporary conflicts over who has access to all of the benefits of Lake Merritt as the city's main public space and the nation’s first wildlife refuge: recreation, nature, economic activity, housing, and even a space to protest. The film explores the core themes of a larger cross-country research project on "Property and Democratic Citizenship" by asking - who belongs at Lake Merritt? Who is excluded? How are they excluded and with which consequences? The film shows how contemproary conflcits between nature and the urban, and between Oakland's diverse population, are reflections not only of a current moment, but of America's contested past and of a foundational dispossession that occurs anytime we turn nature into property.