I didn’t grow up in Berkeley. I was born and raised one town over in Oakland, California. But I did spend enough time near Strawberry Canyon growing up that I knew instantly when I read the headline, “UC Berkeley to build student, homeless housing at People’s Park,” that construction was never going to happen.
Sure, to a reasonable person, the project made total sense. The three-quarter block patch of dirt, grass, and trees just a block off Telegraph Avenue had always emitted a unique aroma of urine and marijuana, but in recent years, it had become an often-violent permanent encampment for the homeless too.
“It’s pretty dangerous. Oftentimes, you get a lot of alerts saying things like armed robberies that happen,” University of California, Berkeley, student Paul Jeong told a local television station. “So it kind of gets students on their toes, especially at night.”
And since Berkeley has had trouble finding housing for its student body of 42,000 (and growing), a new dorm that could house 1,000 students sounds perfect. The university even threw in 125 permanent housing units for the homeless into the dorm.
Seems like a win-win!
But this is Berkeley, and nothing ever gets built easily in Berkeley — especially on the site of a violent protest in the city’s history.
The university has owned the land in question since 1967 when it was acquired through eminent domain for the purpose of building athletic facilities. But the initial plan for the space was delayed due to a lack of funds, and in the meantime, far-left activists began using the park to protest various issues, including the Vietnam War.
Elected in 1966, Gov. Ronald Reagan had no patience for “communist sympathizers, protesters, and sex deviants,” so when activists prevented bulldozers from beginning construction on the site in May 1969, Reagan sent in the California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
During a day of heavy fighting between law enforcement and protesters (including rocks, bricks, and tear gas), one protester was fatally shot. People’s Park has been a shrine of leftist “resistance” ever since.
Sure enough, when the university again tried to build on People’s Park last week, violence ensued. Dozens of protesters showed up to stop the bulldozers. Protesters again clashed with police, resulting in seven arrests for charges including battery on a peace officer, trespassing and resisting, obstructing, and delaying an officer.
A state court has since issued a stay blocking all construction on the site. The next hearing isn’t scheduled until October.
The university has been trying to build on this land for almost 70 years now. Maybe it should take a hint and just give up.
