By Morgan Kacalek
People are enraged as UC Berkeley campus police finally crack down on closing People’s Park to the public. The usually crowded and crime-ridden park, located between Bowditch and Haste Street, belongs to the local university, UC Berkeley, which, up until now, has allowed a congregation of homeless citizens to reside in the area. Along with homeless encampments, People Park has become a commonplace of drug-dealing and violence, according to local law enforcement.
This is highly unfortunate considering that years ago, People’s Park was a place filled with music, entertainment, and diversity. KQED explains that since 1967, the plan was always to use the plot of land for university student housing. The lot was eventually left vacant after bulldozing, and the public began to take over, using the lot as a place to gather and partake in gardening projects. Citizens even started digging a pond, also constructing a playground.
A month after these events, work crews put up a chain-link fence and destroyed much of what the people had created. Citizens protested as an attempt to regain access to the park. The protests eventually turned into violent clashes with Berkeley PD, and Governor Ronald Regan decided to send in 2,000 national guard troops. Years later, once the violence had settled, UC Berkeley attempted to put in a soccer field. Again, protesters stopped the development. Ever since, People’s Park has remained a place to gather as a community.
In recent years, with the growing homeless population in California, People’s Park has again reverted to becoming a homeless encampment site. Violent crimes around the park have risen looking at the reports of drug-dealing and criminal activity in the area. What was once a beautiful place where community members could gather and protest, has devolved into a dangerous and littered area of Berkeley that is still owned by UC Berkeley.
Now, the University has finally decided to reclaim the land. The university will construct the off-campus housing facilities that have been in the works for years. As the university recently began construction, once again, protestors gathered around to stop work on the park. However, before anything was stopped, workers threw up a temporary wall of shipping containers to block people from entering the construction site. Law enforcement presence has significantly decreased over the last week or so as protesters have backed down. All citizens can do now is look forward to new housing for students attending the University.
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