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Berkeley students and community reject UCB construction in People’s Park, removing chain link fence.

January 29, 2021 — A large rally, mostly University of California, Berkeley students, and many Berkeley residents, all advocates of People’s Park, gathered at the park on Friday afternoon and delivered a set of rousing speeches, eloquent, educational, historical, spanning generations, inspiring in their ideals and vitality. Social justice was a key theme. The Park had about a third of it’s area blocked off with chain link fence for weeks and students and park users were outraged at the ongoing attempts of UC Berkeley to take away a large part of the historical and living park, a landmark of social justice and people power. The park is a significant and valuable cultural resource, hosting many concerts, social gatherings, educational and recreational activities, sports, community gardening, diverse groves of trees and plants, charitable outreach, and more throughout the year. The park is a creative collaboration of students, faculty, and residents of Berkeley, living and breathing the oxygen of ideas in a public open green space.

At the conclusion of the speeches on behalf of protecting the park from unwanted development, an unexpected and brilliant spontaneous outpouring of action was suddenly engaged and the crowd took to dismantling the chain link fence, efficiently taking it down, and carrying a number of the fence sections in a rousing parade down Telegraph Avenue, chanting, “Whose park? People’s Park!”. The fencing and protest signs were deposited on the steps of the Sproul Hall administration building as a strong message to the University to stop any development of buildings in People’s Park.

The next morning, trucks were seen taking away the fencing from the park. The people, from all walks of life, made a strong statement, once again, in defense of the Park and the park community, and will continue to work to enhance the People’s Park and bring people together to learn and share in the public space in collaboration with nature’s healing power.

Below are are a few photos and videos from the fence removal part of the event. If there are videos or transcripts of the excellent speeches, this site would be happy to post them here. Please contact: greg@imaja.com.

More photos and video at :

Instagram: @peoplesparkberkeley
Tag photos with #peoplesparkberkeley

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Alert: Berkeley park community open space at risk of destruction, January 2021

Save People’s Park: Protect this precious Berkeley open space from developer profiteering

An update and appeal to Berkeley and the University of California, Berkeley

The precious People’s Park, open space and community gathering place, is at imminent risk of destruction in January 2021. A huge part of the park has been shut down with chain link fence and survellience lights at night. The perpetrators of the chain link fence attack, connected with opportunistic profiteers from the University, developers, construction industry, and others,  are clearly using the inclement weather and pandemic situation to attack the precious open space and gathering place of People’s Park with the least amount of pushback from the many users of the park. Numerous houseless people are camped in or beside the park during the pandemic and stormy wet winter weather, with numerous outside organizations and individuals helping park people to get by in decency, given the dire situation.

I remember years ago, my dear friend C and I visited the park in a winter rain. She was a medical student at the time, and we were really enjoying the open space, a relief for our stressed times. It was around the time I grew a bed of astounding 13-foot tall corn in the West side community garden beds of People’s Park. We climbed the great low branches and enjoyed the brisk air and wet colors. It was like today when I visited People’s Park, lush white Cala lilies happily growing into the cool showers.

To think that this park, the historical People’s Park, this vibrant community gathering place, People’s Park, the collective treasure chest of memories of people with vision, People Park, to think that this park could be reduced or damaged or eliminated by the University and it’s cohorts in development, construction and real estate, breaks our hearts. We’ve worked hard to garden, to tend the trees, to fill the air with music, dance and art, history and community, in this public space. To lose this green space would be a tragic loss, caused by destructive profiteering forces. 

The pathological, toxic roads and numerous parked cars are an indicator of how deluded our society has become. People spend so much time on computer or television screens, partly because the environment outside their own doors is so absurdly destroyed to make way for cars and parking spots, and not for people. We want to go to a park to escape the visual and noise pollution of cars everywhere, a public gathering place where we could enjoy gardens, music, sports, a picnic in the sun. How can it be that Berkeley might lose another park, People’s Park? 

I hope all parties involved in any development consider the social value of the special open space in People’s Park, a real direct tangible value to people in the neighborhood, throughout town, and for students, a value that brings people together from all walks of life, and work to protect that open space, the open public culture, and the history. There are several other effective solutions for building student housing, affordable housing, or other structures in many parts of Berkeley, so let us protect this precious remaining open space.

— Greg Jalbert, January 27, 2021

Rally to Save People’s Park

Friday, 3 PM, January 29, 2021

Stand in solidarity with our unhoused neighbors in preventing displacement. Fences are being built to prevent people from using People’s Park.

  • Bring your own signs if possible
  • Food provided by Food Not Bombs
  • Meeting held afterwards

Instagram: @peoplesparkberkeley
Tag photos with #peoplesparkberkeley
Text SAVETHEPARK to 81257

Poster:

Get Involved

Join the Discussion Group and Facebook groups for People’s Park and get the latest news, participate, and support this wonderful community resource. Connect here on the Contact page >

Photos of People’s Park areas enclosed by chain link fence, January 27, 2021. Stop the theft of People’s Park open community green space!

Chain link fence at People’s Park, South East corner, January 27, 2021
Chain link fence at People’s Park, South East corner, January 27, 2021
Chain link fence at People’s Park, North side, January 27, 2021
Chain link fence at People’s Park, North side, January 27, 2021
Chain link fence at People’s Park, looking North East, January 27, 2021
Chain link fence at People’s Park, looking North East, January 27, 2021
Save People’s Park: Protect this precious Berkeley open space from developer profiteering
Save People’s Park: Protect this precious Berkeley open space from developer profiteering
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People’s Park Committee’s comments on UC’s Long Range Development Plan Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report

You can read UC’s NOP here: https://capitalstrategies.berkeley.edu/resources-notices/public-notices

April 27th Scoping session can be heard here: https://lrdp.berkeley.edu/scoping-meeting

People’s Park Committee’s submitted comments are here:
PEOPLE’S PARK COMMITTEE SCOPING COMMENTS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR UC BERKELEY LONG RANGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN UPDATE AND HOUSING PROJECTS AT PEOPLE’S PARK AND HILL CAMPUS 4/27/20

1. LRDP Update must not be a programmatic EIR that automatically gives the green light to future projects not explicitly listed in the EIR. All future projects must continue to be subject to public input under CEQA.

2. The NOP claims 200 meetings and events with stakeholder groups and the public, but not all stakeholders were contacted. Houseless residents of the park weren’t included. There was a 1/24/20 invitation-only meeting, at the Christian Science church by the park. Little effort was made to invite community groups like the People’s Park Committee, Food Not Bombs, Suitcase Clinic, or others who provide resources at the park so few of the park community were able to participate. Except one town hall on the LRDP in April 2019, no public meetings about this process were held. Two public meetings in February and March 2020, were limited to Project #2 at People’s Park, and didn’t include other plans to be discussed in this EIR. Which stakeholders were invited to the other 196 meetings, and what parts of the LRDP Update did they cover?

3. The NOP insists on necessity of expansion of facilities and university population, even though Berkeley has sued UC for exceeding the agreed-upon number of students to be admitted. The number of beds planned for students and non-university affiliated people are vague, talking about construction ‘up to’ a certain number, without any minimum commitment. No mention of students who are homeless now, in need of housing, let alone non-university park residents. And no specifics about nonprofits who are supposed to develop and manage the housing projects proposed at People’s Park. Who are these nonprofits, what is their proposed role, and what financial and other benefits would they derive from this project?

4. UC used the excuse of ‘deferred maintenance’, a concept mentioned in the NOP, to destroy the forested area of People’s Park as well as trees all over campus, and the excuse of ‘wildfire management’ to deforest other areas in the East Bay hills, and use pesticides, long targeting the Hill Campus area. Even mature, tall redwoods are planned for demolition by UC in the Hill Campus. UC repeatedly has been taken to court by community members seeking to defend the Hill Campus forest. UC insists that since these forested areas are not state or federal forest, it’s not necessary to discuss the impact of converting that forest to non-forest use, and because there may not be a formal habitat conservation plan, no habitat conservation activities are necessary in the project areas covered in the EIR, even though many animals, including falcons and hawks, utilize them as habitat.

5. The EIR is supposed to cover historic resources, and preserve historic legacy, and as such People’s Park, a City of Berkeley Historic Landmark, must be preserved as a park, not replaced with buildings. The NOP refers to creating multi-purpose spaces, but People’s Park already has multiple purposes and uses for humans and wildlife, which these plans would eliminate.

** THESE COMMENTS ARE SUBMITTED BY THE PEOPLE’S PARK COMMITTEE,
including Russell Bates, Lisa Teague, Jessie Mcginley, Michael Delacour, Max Ventura, Erick Morales, Andrea Prichett, Aidan Hill, Paul Prosseda, Ivar Diehl, Siobhan Lettow, Dawn Goldwasser, Tom Luce, Hali Hammer, Sheila Mitra-Sarkar, Charles Gary

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Letter to Chancellor Christ, University of California – March 25, 2020

Office of the Chancellor University of California, Berkeley
200 California Hall #1500 Berkeley, CA 94702

Dear Chancellor Christ,

Since sheltering in place is currently the best way to limit spread of the Covid-19 virus, we are asking that you adopt the CDC recommendations and suspend enforcement of anti-camping type laws for now. Since you already have unhoused students and community members camping in the park, it would be in the public interest for you to work to help them to be safe or at least as safe as can be under the current circumstances. We believe that extra vigilance regarding conditions in the park is required at this time. It is NOT acceptable to ignore conditions or simply use the current crisis as a pretense for closing the park.

Everyday, this very fragile population struggles to survive, but now they have seen their access to businesses, social services, food, public restrooms and even spare change evaporate. Of course, they are spending more time in People’s Park. However, the dangerous, unsanitary conditions that U.C. has imposed on the park by lack of maintenance endanger everybody. Fortunately, a few local Mutual Aid volunteers provided some toilet paper and supplies over the weekend; supplies which UC is more than capable of providing.

The UC is not doing enough to help park users reduce their exposure to the virus. The highly used bathrooms are rarely cleaned or disinfected and toilet paper is often scarce. Simple hand washing is extremely difficult to do because of the ridiculously small (less than 2 inch long) “faucets” that do not allow users even to place their hands under a flow of water. Soap is not provided and paper towels are non-existent. The risk of spreading the virus throughout this community is huge and it is the responsibility of the university to direct the resources needed to be at least a responsible property owner if not a responsible, moral resident of our community.

Evictions have been suspended in California for the time being so we do not expect that the numbers of actual campers will increase. All we are asking is for the University of California to do its part in a time of crisis for those currently camped. The fact is that for years, the People’s Park community has been tragically underserved by the University. While we acknowledge and are glad that there is now a social worker assigned to support people in the park, we believe that more must be done.

We demand the following:

  1. Utilize People’s Park as an emergency outdoor shelter for the duration of the shelter in place order. As CDC recommends, DO NOT remove encampments or threaten park users with citations for lodging. Facilitate healthy conditions for unhoused people in the park during this crisis.
  2. Provide 24 hour access to the restrooms.
  3. Provide regular cleanings of the restrooms. With such high usage, bathrooms need to be cleaned and disinfected SEVERAL times each day.
  4. Supply the restrooms with soap, toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
  5. Repair the faucets in the restrooms so that people can actually wash their hands. The current “faucets” are approximately 2 inches long and do not protrude enough from the wall to enable CDC recommended hand washing practices.
  6. Provide access to water for drinking. There are already spigots and hoses. Ensure that water is accessible and turned on.
  7. Allow Food Not Bombs to serve food to residents of the park who have extremely limited access to food and are already reporting hunger and scarcity in the Telegraph Avenue area. Order police not to interfere with these efforts and do what you can to support the orderly delivery of food and efforts by the community to feed people in a low risk manner.

Sincerely,

Jackie Barshak (DSA San Francisco chapter*)

Russell Bates (People’s Park Committee, member*)

Barbara Brust (Consider the Homeless*)

boona cheema (Berkeley Mental Health Commissioner*)

Isis Feral (Coalition to Defend East Bay Forests, member*)

Arthur Fonseca (Picuris Pueblo Senior Center Service Provider)

Charles Gary (Community Services United Board member*)

Judith Gips (People’s Park Committee, member*)

Hali D. Hammer (People’s Park Committee, member*)

Aidan Hill (Vice-Chair City of Berkeley Homeless Commission*)

Greg Jalbert (friend of People’s Park for 20 years*)

Joe Liesner (Food Not Bombs*)

Thomas Lord
Dr. James McFadden (UC Berkeley Research Physicist)

National Lawyers Guild- San Francisco

Peyton Provenzano (Berkeley Copwatch and PhD student at Berkeley Law*)

Erick Morales (People’s Park Committee, member*)

Andrea Prichett (Berkeley Copwatch*)

Paul Prosseda (People’s Park Committee*)

Lisa Teague (People’s Park Committee, member*)

Max Ventura (People’s Park Committee, member*)

dress wedding (Food Not Bombs, member*, Harborside Cannabis Dispensary co-founder)

* Organizations listed for identification only

Cc: Mayor Jesse Arreguin and Berkeley City Council

Paul Buddenhagen, Deputy City Manager

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New Bulldozer Alarm!

People’s Park now has a Bulldozer Alarm and text alert system so we can let folks know quickly if the Park comes under imminent threat of being fenced, having trees cut down, or literally being bulldozed.

Text SAVETHEPARK to 81257! You will be notified by text if there are threats to People’s Park and/or if we need folks to show up right away!
SAVETHEPARK!

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Letter to UC Regents – Do not build housing on People’s Park

To The UC regents, staff, and concerned citizens,

This letter is regarding Agenda Action Item F4-A: Preliminary Plans Funding, People’s Park Housing, Berkeley.

People’s Park in Berkeley is a poor choice for this housing project for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the incredible importance of this site on a national and even international level. The death and grievous woundings that resulted from then-governor Reagan’s unleashing of live ammunition on student protesters and innocent bystanders in 1969 was a pivotal moment launching a trajectory of polarized politics that is playing out today. The historical integrity of the site is not confined to 1960’s radicalism on and off campus. The advent of the user-defined development movement and the ecology and food not bombs movements also play crucial roles in the legacy of people’s park past and present. Sproul Plaza may have been the site of many rallies of the free speech movement but the flowering of radicalism and counter culture in Southside campus (which is so important to UC Berkeley’s legacy) has found its most fertile ground at People’s Park. Today the park is in use as community gardens and open space for rest and relaxation to many people, a treasured open space for over 50 years, a living monument to the passions and struggle of that tumultuous and important era. Nowhere is that legacy more integral than Berkeley, especially adjacent UC Berkeley campus. No shadowed plaque could replace this powerful testament.

In addition, students and faculty have expressed continuous interest in the park as an area of study. People’s Park offers a unique environment for experiments in user-defined community projects, as the site is not confined by city park management bureaucracy and has a large and committed constituency that is deeply invested in both the physical site and the more abstract meaning there. I and many students feel that UC should view People’s Park as part of the university’s diverse offerings, not as s blemish that needs to be suppressed and/or destroyed. I feel that the agricultural study areas at Oxford and Gill Tract are worthy of preservation for similar reasons; UC Berkeley gains value by having diverse study offerings. Local graduates also gain horticultural careers through these programs; a wonderful community benefit that the school provides.

There are quite a few other sites to build on that have much less community pain and resistance associated with them, Including the 6 other sites listed in your current housing plan. This plan spans the decade of the 2020s in scope, with the sites projected to be developed sequentially. At the end of this decade, 50 acres of UC land and another 50 acres of adjacent city land at Clark Kerr campus become buildable. 2032 marks the expiration of a 50 year no-build covenant that UC generously signed with affluent neighbors. The times have changed. Over a hundred acres of prime land near campus can, should, and will be built upon to alleviate this terrible housing crisis. With this huge undeveloped area soon to come online, there is no logical excuse for developing such a small and controversial site as People’s Park.

Thank you,
Ivar Diehl
Berkeley resident
Oakland business owner

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Send comments to UC Regents NOW! Protect People’s Park!

Send comments to UC Regents – Finance and Capital Strategies Committee meeting with an agenda item about People’s Park Housing, March 18, 2020.

Guidelines for Public Comment are here
https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/public-comment.html

More info: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/agendas/mar20.html

PDF: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar20/fin.pdf

The Regents of the University of California
FINANCE AND CAPITAL STRATEGIES COMMITTEE
March 18, 2020
Centennial Ballroom A&B, Luskin Conference Center, Los Angeles Campus
Consent Agenda:
A. Preliminary Plans Funding, PEOPLE’S PARK HOUSING, Berkeley Campus
…

VIDEO STREAMING: Regents Meeting, March 17-19, 2020
Live video streaming is available during the open session meetings.
https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/videos/mar2020/mar2020.html#fin
Sometime after 12:30 pm (upon end of closed Finance and Cap. Strat. Comm. meeting at 12:30 pm)
Finance and Capital Strategies Committee (open session) (PDF https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/mar20/fin.pdf)

* IMPORTANT: UPDATE MARCH 2020 REGENTS MEETING WILL BE HELD ENTIRELY AS A TELECONFERENCE – TO REDUCE RISKS RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)*

Meetings of The Regents of the University of California and its committees are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 17-19, 2020, by teleconference. Please note that all times indicated and the order of business are approximate and subject to change.