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PRESS RELEASE – People’s Park Teach-In at UC Berkeley on February 26, 2024

For Immediate Release
Contact: Harvey Smith, peoplesparkhxdist@gmail.com, 510-684-0414

“What’s Going On?”

A Teach-In on People’s Park

7-9 p.m., Monday, February 26, 2024
Maud Fife Room – 315 Wheeler Hall, UCB

People’s Park is currently barricaded by stacked shipping containers topped with razor wire and guarded round-the-clock, following a midnight raid in early January by combined police forces from UC, CSU, Alameda County, San Francisco City and County and the California State Highway Patrol, organized by the UC Berkeley administration. Why? “The existing legal issues will inevitably be resolved, so we are taking this necessary step now to minimize the possibilities of conflict and confrontation, and of disruption for the public and our students, when we are cleared to resume construction,” said Chancellor Carol Christ (The Berkeleyan, January 16, 2024). Like others in the flood of official campus public relations communications with which students, faculty and staff have been inundated since the Chancellor’s 2017 announcement of plans to build student housing on the park, this response falls short of explaining why there is such fear of “conflict and confrontation” and such strong opposition to these plans, even from students whose interests the plans are supposed to serve.

For a broader range of perspectives on what was and is going on at People’s Park, Teach-Ins have been organized by UC Berkeley students (January 24) and by community groups (February 4). Please join us for the next one. There will be ample time for Q and A. Fiat Lux!

Presenters:

  • Harvey Smith, organizer of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and project advisor for The Living New Deal, UC Berkeley Department of Geography
  • Tom Dalzell, labor lawyer and author of The Battle for People’s Park, Berkeley 1969
  • Tony Platt, author of The Scandal of Cal: Land Grabs, White Supremacy and Miseducation at UC Berkeley and affiliated scholar at Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Law and Society
  • Steve Wasserman, publisher of Heyday Books and park activist since 1969
  • Sylvia T, recent UC Berkeley graduate, independent archival researcher and People’s Park defender
  • Sara Pech, Historic Preservation Club, a UC Berkeley student group
  • Representatives from the Suitcase Clinic, a UC Berkeley student group

Moderator:

  • Kristin Hanson, Professor of English, UC Berkeley

Please note that although masking is no longer required on campus it is much appreciated.

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Call In To Berkeley City Council, Thursday August 4, 2022 8:15 PM To Stop Use of Tear Gas, Pepper Spray and Smoke

UPDATE: Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin has canceled tonight’s meeting described below, perhaps he’s getting some spine or he’s just worried about national media attention. He tweeted: “Mtg cancelled. Policy stands and shame on the Sheriff for not guaranteeing mutual aide emergency support to Berkeley because he disagrees with our tear gas ban.”, in a Twitter thread that tagged Berkeleyside and others.

The Berkeley City Manager has requested to allow use of tear gas, smoke and pepper spray while City Council goes on sumer vacation, so the Berkeley City Council just called a Special Meeting for Thursday August 4, 2022 8:15 PM. The one agenda item is:

Discussion and possible action regarding the temporary suspension of the June 9, 2020 policy prohibiting the use of tear gas, smoke and pepper spray for the duration of the City Council recess.

Call in and demand the council does NOT allow this violent City Manager’s wish.

Thursday, August 4, 2022
City Council Special Meeting at 8:15 PM – (8:15 in the evening)

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89083608532
Teleconference: 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (toll free)
Meeting ID: 890 8360 8532

AGENDA: 1. City Manager – Discussion and possible action regarding the temporary suspension of the June 9, 2020 policy prohibiting the use of tear gas, smoke and pepper spray for the duration of the City Council recess.

https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-august-4-2022

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas

This is a transparent attack on the people power that tore down the fence at People’s Park. Please call in and express your thoughts to stop these attacks on people trying to stop the destruction of People’s Park by UC Berkeley.

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Letter from Dieter Müller-Greven, a People’s Park supporter from 1972

Dear friends of the Berkeley People’s Park,

Coming from Germany in 1972, hitch-hiking across the USA to SF, I heard about Berkeley People’s park, about the history from 1969, which was still fresh in 1972 and helped to defend the People’s Park in May 1972. I still remember vividly the demonstration on Telegraph Ave and helped tear down the fence at People’s Park.

Now I hear the UCB is still trying to occupy this historic place. Let me know if I can help in any way, may just tell you about the memories of Johnny’s Soup Kitchen on Telegraph Ave or when we blocked the streets to Oakland harbor with cars from junk yards to prevent the aircraft carrier from getting supplies so it couldn’t go to Viet Nam to bomb dikes to drown people, or about hiring a helicopter to coordinate the demonstration by FM radio from the air, or just from the all night drum players in front of the student union building, etc.

Maybe there is a historic archive about this half century lasting fight for the park.

I wish you all good luck to keep this place in the hands of the people and turn it into a historic monument, with just grass and trees, benches and playgrounds. No concrete, no houses.

Take care,
Dieter Müller-Greven

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A Statement on Behalf of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation

Greetings Relatives,

On behalf of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, I have asked for this statement to be read tonight as tribal members and leadership are all at a ceremony and cannot be with you.

Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation have made this land, currently called Berkeley, our home for thousands of years before colonization. Before the thought of private land ownership was a concept in this land, this land was taken care of by our ancestors. There was an abundance here. Imagine a few hundred years ago, there was no concept of hunger or homelessness, and you could drink fresh water out of “strawberry creek”. Our way of life was disrupted because people came to this land with the thought of “lording” over the land, rather than being in relationship to it. The foreign ideology of private land ownership has caused great harm to the land, waters, animals, plants, and people. Greed of making money and covering everything in concrete and asphalt, takes away the sacredness of the land to people living in the confines of urban areas. The ability to have a small group of humans displace others in a time of worldwide pandemic, with the ever-increasing cost of living, food shortages on the brink and the continuous desensitized ability to look at homelessness goes against everything that we have been traditionally taught about being human beings.

Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation stands with Defend Peoples Park, the People’s Park Council and all who dream and seek to create a new way of life, one in which we remember what our responsibilities are to the earth, water, air and each other.

Corrina Gould
Spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan Nation
July 27, 2022

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Press Release: “The Struggle Continues” Rally And Music At People’s Park

Watch video of the event at the People’s Park Community Facebook page — with Andrea Prichett (MC), Corrina Gould, John Holloway, Joe Liesner, Pamela Price, Aidan Hill, Señor Gigio, Rosey Stephens, Maxina Ventura, Sophia, Becky and Andrea Prichett. Thanks to Aidan Hill for the video!
1 hour 36 minutes

Press Release
For Immediate Release

For Additional Information:
Andrea Prichett, 510-229-0527
Joe Leisner, 510-542-3112

“The Struggle Continues” Rally And Music At People’s Park

People’s Park Council is hosting an in-person community event called “The Struggle Continues” with speakers and musical performances by local artists. Speakers will include Pamela Price who is currently running to become the District Attorney for Alameda County as well as individuals from local organizations with connections to the struggle to save the park. The People’s Park Council is encouraging community members to attend the event and if they can’t be there in person, the event will be livestreamed via FaceBook at the People’s Park Community page.

Organizers are continuing efforts to preserve the historic park through various means. In addition to public events and activities, there is also a major effort in the courts. On July 29, 2022 a team of lawyers from the People’s Park Historic District will present to the First Appellate Court grounds for invalidating UC’s very inadequate Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on Housing Project #2 (People’s Park housing). Prevailing on July 29 would set UC back, require a new EIR, and hopefully, motivate UC to build on an alternative site. We encourage everyone to contribute to this effort at:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ahbjjq-save-peoples-park

“We are concerned that our City Council will soon be going on recess and there is a real possibility that, if construction begins, this may very well kick off massive protests. We believe that both the UC and the City have demonstrated their inability and unwillingness to adminsiter this park in a healthy and equitable manner. Therefore, we believe that the best compromise and the best way for the UC to avoid massive opposition to this ill-conceived scheme is to cede the land to the Ohlone people,” said Andrea Prichett of the People’s Park Council. “This is a reasonable compromise and we remain ready to support discussions about this alternative solution.”

What: The Struggle Continues – Speakers and Musical Performances
Where: People’s Park in Berkeley
When: Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 6 pm
Who: People’s Park Council

MORE INFORMATION:

People’s Park Historical District Advocacy Group: https://www.peoplesparkhxdist.org

People’s Park: https://www.peoplespark.org

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Update on legal action to protect People’s Park, July 21, 2022

The First Appellate Court with the help of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group has just taken down another of University of California’s (UC) attempts to take the park. On Friday, UC had asked Judge Roesch for permission to erect a fence around the park and Roesch denied them, saying I’Il see you both in court on July 29, 2022.

Well, UC was back with another complaint on Saturday demanding an expedited rehearing or Motion to Remand and saying they were improperly denied their request for a bond to cover increased construction cost incurred by the stay.

Today the First Appellate court said: NO REHEARING OR REMAND, and NO BOND. Their order instructed our team to file a response to UC Motion to Remand by August 3rd. We may see that response sooner than August 3rd. Remember the trial on the merits is July 29, 2022.

Letter from David L. Axelrod, Attorney for the Petitioners

July 21, 2022

To:
The PEOPLE,
PEOPLE’S PARK COUNCIL,
MAKE UC A GOOD NEIGHBOR, and
People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group

Blurb – For Immediate Release

Re: Make UC a Good Neighbor, et al. v. City of Berkeley, et al., and U.C.

The above-referenced case started out as a Petition in Alameda Superior Court by People’s Park advocacy groups for a Writ of Mandate against Berkeley City Council, the Mayor, and the City itself, for violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act by the City’s adoption of a secret sell-out agreement with the University of California (UC) in violation of applicable California open-meeting laws.

Soon thereafter, the Court, by Judge Frank Roesch, expanded the action to include the University of California (UC), and later permitted or encouraged causes of action against UC for breach of contractual agreements with People’s Park representatives, namely the People’s Park Council and People’s Park Project/ Native Plant Forum.

As of today, July 21, 2022, in ruling on the City’s Demurrer, Judge Roesch has thrown out the Petition against the City, while the Complaint against UC remains intact. In doing so, Judge Roesch declined to enforce Berkeley’s Measure N, and also concluding that Berkeley’s Measure L does not apply to People’s Park. On behalf of the Petitioners, we argued that the City Respondents have violated Measure N by surrendering to UC, rather than upholding applicable laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Measure L, which expressly applies to all “vacant public land . . . used de facto as open space . . .,” whether or not owned by the City.

Judge Roesch also ruled that the Petitioners had failed to file a government claim within six (6) months of the City’s wrongful act. On behalf of the Petitioners, we argued that The Government Claims Statute does not apply to our Petition for Writ of Mandamus, which simply seeks a stay, declaratory judgment, and other equitable relief, rather than being a claim for monetary damages resulting from foreseeable losses that have not yet actually occurred.

Judge Roesch also ruled in favor of a Motion to Strike large segments of the amended Petition, even though the Motion had been untimely filed five (5) days after the deadline approved in a Stipulation of the parties and an Order of the Court.

Robert Perlmutter, attorney for the City, tried to keep the City in the case as a “real party in interest,” but the Court denied this request. Accordingly, the City Respondents are now totally excluded from this case.

The only question is whether to appeal now, based upon the dismissal of all causes of action against the City entities, or to appeal after final judgment is entered in the case in chief. The only remaining now is the Defendant UC. This lawsuit, like People’s Park itself, appears to be hanging by a thread at this time.

As requested by the Petitioners, Judge Roesch did properly take Judicial Notice of the Stay Order issued by the Court of Appeal in a closely-related CEQA case, temporarily preventing destruction of the Park by UC. But he also stated that the Order was “irrelevant” to the Demurrer. Perhaps a similar order, but broader and longer lasting, can be sought in what is the newly revamped and evolved iteration of our case at law aiming to save the Park.
May 1000 parks bloom!!

For Plants and Peace,

DAVID L. AXELROD,
Attorney for the Petitioners,
PEOPLE’S PARK COUNCIL,
MAKE UC A GOOD NEIGHBOR, and
People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group

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The Ever-Expanding University of California: Property Claims and the Battle Over People’s Park

The Ever-Expanding University of California: Property Claims and the Battle Over People’s Park (PDF)

Download:
Newer version with images:
https://www.peoplespark.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Ever-Expanding-U.-of-California-Property-Claims-and-the-Battle-Over-Peoples-Park-Pamphlet-v4.pdf

Older text-only version:
https://www.peoplespark.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Ever-Expanding-University_-Property-Claims-and-the-Battle-Over-Peoples-Park-2.pdf