People's Park (Berkeley)

Coordinates: 37°51′56″N 122°15′25″W / 37.86556°N 122.25694°W / 37.86556; -122.25694
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People's Park
People's Park, Berkeley
People's Park (Berkeley) is located in Oakland, California
People's Park (Berkeley)
People's Park (Berkeley) is located in San Francisco Bay Area
People's Park (Berkeley)
Nearest cityBerkeley, California
Coordinates37°51′56″N 122°15′25″W / 37.86556°N 122.25694°W / 37.86556; -122.25694
Area2.8 acres (1.1 ha)
NRHP reference No.100007288
BERKL No.84
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 24, 2022
Designated BERKLNovember 19, 1984

People's Park in Berkeley, California, is a plot of land that is owned by the University of California, Berkeley. Located east of Telegraph Avenue, bound by Haste and Bowditch Streets, and Dwight Way, People's Park was a symbol during the radical political activism of the late 1960s.[1][2][3][4]

The Southside neighborhood was the scene of a major confrontation between student protesters and police in May 1969. A mural near the park depicts the shooting of James Rector, who was fatally shot by police on May 15, 1969.[5][6]

While the land is the property of the University of California, People's Park established itself in the early 1970s as a de facto public park before it was closed off in January 2024. The City of Berkeley declared it a historical and cultural landmark in 1984.[7]

UC Berkeley plans to build 1,100 new units of student housing and 125 units of supportive housing for homeless people on a third of the park's space, but said plans have been met with opposition by a small contingent of Berkeley residents and activists.[8] The housing plans have unanimous backing by the Berkeley City Council, Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Berkeley's California Assembly representative Buffy Wicks and California Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as nearly two-thirds of UC Berkeley students.[9][10] Lawsuits have delayed the onset of construction.[11][12]

Early history to May 1969[edit]

In 1956, the Regents of the University of California decided that they wanted to buy a certain 2.8-acre (11,000-square-meter) plot of land, which contained houses at the time, for future development into student housing, parking, and offices as part of the university's long range development plan. At the time, public funds were lacking to buy the land, and the plan was shelved until June 1967, when the university acquired $1.3 million to buy the land. The land was purchased through the process of eminent domain. The short-term goal was to create athletic fields with student housing being a longer-range goal.[13][14]

Bulldozers arrived in February 1968 and began demolition of the residences. However, the university ran out of development funds, leaving the lot only partially cleared of demolition debris and rubble for 14 months.[13][15]

At the time, student activist Wendy Schlesinger and Michael Delacour (a former defense contractor employee who had become an anti-war activist[16]) had become attached to the area, as they had been using it as a clandestine rendezvous hideout for a secret romantic affair.[13] The pair presented a plan for developing the university-owned land into a public park. This plan was approved by the attendees, but not by the university.

Michael Delacour stated, "We wanted a free speech area that wasn't controlled like Sproul Plaza [the plaza at the south entrance to UC Berkeley] was. It was another place to organize, another place to have a rally. The park was secondary."[17] The university's Free Speech microphone was available to all students, with few (if any) restrictions on speech. The construction of the park involved many of the same people and politics as the 1964 Free Speech Movement.[18]

On Sunday, April 20, more than 100 people arrived at the site to begin building the park. Local landscape architect Jon Read and many others contributed trees, flowers, shrubs, and sod. Eventually, about 1,000 people became directly involved, with many more donating money and materials.[13][15][17]

On May 13, Chancellor Heyns notified the media via a press release that the university would build a fence around the property and begin construction.[13]

May 15, 1969: "Bloody Thursday"[edit]

In the early morning of Thursday, May 15, 1969, local police cleared the park and arrested three people who refused to leave. [19][20] University work crews arrived later and erected an 8-foot (2.4-metre)-tall fence around the site.[21][22][23] Beginning at noon[23] about 3,000 people appeared in Sproul Plaza at nearby UC Berkeley for a rally in favor of the park.[24] The crowd later moved down Telegraph Avenue toward People's Park.[1] Arriving in the early afternoon, protesters were met by the remaining 159 Berkeley and university police officers assigned to guard the fenced-off park site. A major confrontation ensued between police and the crowd, which grew to 4,000.[25]

James Rector was watching from the roof of Granma Books when he was shot by police;[26] he died on May 19.[6][27] A carpenter, Alan Blanchard, was permanently blinded by a load of birdshot directly to his face.[28] At least 128 Berkeley residents were admitted to local hospitals for head trauma, shotgun wounds, and other serious injuries inflicted by police.[13]

That evening, Governor Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency in Berkeley and sent in 2,700 National Guard troops.[29][25] Demonstrations continued in Berkeley for several days after Bloody Thursday,[30] and National Guard troops remained stationed there for two weeks.[31]

1970s[edit]

Unofficial memorial: 25 years of People's Park. "Remove parking lot, put in a paradise" is an allusion to Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi".

After the peaceful march in support of People's Park on May 30, 1969, the university decided to keep the 8-foot-tall perimeter chain-link wire fence and maintain a 24-hour guard over the site. On June 20, the University of California Regents voted to turn the People's Park site into a soccer field and parking lot.[32]

Dear Indugu on the People's Stage (2010)

Relation to Ohlone Park[edit]

In the immediate aftermath of the May 1969 People's Park demonstrations, and consistent with their goal of "letting a thousand parks bloom," on May 25,[33] People's Park activists began gardening a two-block strip of land called the "Hearst Corridor," located adjacent to Hearst Avenue just northwest of the university campus. The Hearst Corridor was a strip of land along the north side of Hearst Avenue that had been left largely untended after the houses had been torn down to facilitate the completion of an underground subway line by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District. Although BART officials offered to lease the site to the city for a park,[34] on the night of June 6, approximately 400 people were forcibly evicted from what was then called "People's Park No. 2" by Berkeley police, who also removed playground equipment and trees that had been recently planted.[35]

1990s[edit]

In the spring of 1991, the university released plans to redevelop People's Park. They proposed removing the Free Speech Stage and installing several large volleyball courts throughout the park. Bulldozers were ushered in, accompanied by riot police, to install the sand volleyball courts.[36]

A new wave of protest began, with the rallying slogan "Defend the Park," which was shared in coordinated solidarity with organizers resisting gentrification and the displacement of poor and unhoused people at Tompkins Square Park in the Lower East Side of New York City.[37]

Protests grew each day, and police escalated to shooting wood pellets and rubber bullets at demonstrators. More than 95 people were arrested in the first four days, and 3 people were injured, including a photographer for the San Francisco Examiner. The Examiner later reported the total cost to UC of installing one sand volleyball court to be $1 million. UC reportedly paid individuals $15 per hour to play volleyball in order to make the courts appear to be in use, with round-the-clock police supervision. When a group slapped away a volleyball during play and dunked it into a porta-potty toilet, police tried to press charges against those responsible.[36]

On December 15, 1991, the Daily Californian reported that "an unidentified vandal used a chainsaw to cut down the central wooden post of the volleyball court."[36] The chainsaw is now displayed at the Long Haul Infoshop in Berkeley. The sandboxes remained until 1997, however, when UC finally removed them from the park.[36]

2000s to 2010s[edit]

In 2011, People's Park saw a new wave of protests, known as the "tree-sit." It consisted of a series of individual "tree-sitters" who occupied a wooden platform in one of the trees in People's Park. One protester was arrested,[38] another fell from the tree while sleeping.[39] But despite the transitions and overlapping political platforms, such as the 10 PM curfew[40] and the university's plans for development, the protests lasted throughout most of the fall of 2011. The tree-sits were also supported by Zachary RunningWolf, a Berkeley activist, who spoke to the media about the protesters' causes.[38] RunningWolf claimed that the central motive for the protests was to demonstrate that "poverty is not a crime."[39]

In late 2011, UC Berkeley bulldozed the west end of People's Park, in an effort to provide students and the broader community with safer, more sanitary conditions.[41][42]

People's Park has been the subject of long-running contention between those who see it as a haven for the poor that is crime-infested and unfriendly to visitors and families, and those who see it as an essential green space south of campus and a memorial to the Free Speech Movement. While the park has public bathrooms, gardens, and a playground area, many residents do not see it as a welcoming place, citing drug use and a high crime rate.[43] A San Francisco Chronicle article on January 13, 2008, referred to People's Park as "a forlorn and somewhat menacing hub for drug users and the homeless." The same article quoted denizens and supporters of the park saying it was "perfectly safe, clean and accessible."[44] In May 2018, UC Berkeley reported that campus police had been called 1,585 times to People's Park in the previous year.[45] The university also said there had been 10,102 criminal incidents in the park between 2012 and 2017.[46] A 2015 investigation by the Daily Californian found that most crimes reported at People's Park were related to "quality-of-life" such as drug and alcohol violations, and disorderly conduct, and that there were also multiple reports of battery, aggravated theft, robbery and assault at the park.[47]

Proposed development (2018–2020)[edit]

In 2018, UC Berkeley unveiled a plan for People's Park that would include the construction of housing for as many as 1,000 students, supportive housing for the homeless or military veterans, and a memorial honoring the park's history and legacy.[45][46][48][49] On August 29, 2019, Chancellor Carol T. Christ confirmed plans to create student housing for 600–1000 students, and supportive housing for 100–125 people. San Francisco-based LMS architects have been selected to build the housing, and Christ stated that they are moving to a time of "extensive public comment" on the plans for construction.[50] The supportive housing is proposed to be built by a nonprofit, Resources for Community Development.

The People's Park Housing Project is part of the university's Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP). Updated nearly every 15 years, the LRDP is guided by the campus' commitments to maintaining "sustainability, being a good neighbor and community partner, as well as serving the people of California."[51]  In February 2020, the university held its first public comment forum. Advocates of the park held a rally to protest the proposal, with students citing the historical, cultural, and social relevance of the park.[52]

On April 17, 2020, UC Berkeley published its plans for the People's Park Housing Project during its third virtual open house. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the following shelter-in-place ordinances, the university moving forward with the plan was faced with significant backlash. The mayor of Berkeley, Jesse Arreguín, wrote "I think we should launch this process at a time and in a way that allows full transparency and participation. I therefore reiterate my request that the campus delay the public comment period until after the Shelter in Place order is lifted."[53]

On April 29, 2020, the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), planned to vote on re-establishing the nonpartisan housing commission.[54][needs update]

Redevelopment and resistance (since 2021)[edit]

In January 2021, UC Berkeley erected fences around portions of People's Park to take core samples of the soil composition in preparation for construction.[55] Homeless people who had set up tents in the park during the COVID-19 pandemic were removed from the site by UC police.[citation needed] In response, a rally was organized on January 29. Michael Delacour, one of the founders of the park, gave a speech expressing frustration. Spurred on by his words, hundreds of people broke down construction equipment, tore down the fences, and carried them down Telegraph Avenue. Some were deposited on the front steps of Sproul Hall, the UC Berkeley administration building.[56]

The park with homeless people's tents in April 2021.

Occupation[edit]

The rallying cry "Defend People's Park" became synonymous with the protesters which led to the creation of a community group, "Defend People's Park". As part of the occupation, resources such as tents and food were distributed to long-time park community members. Other events including gardening, film screenings, and concerts were organized.[57] The short-term demands and goals of the occupation included:

  • An immediate halt and cancellation of any development plans in People's Park
  • Defunding and disarming of UCPD
  • Respecting the autonomy of park users and residents
  • Expanding social and health services
  • Communicating transparently about any proposed or current activity in the park.[58][citation needed]

In a statement issued shortly after the occupation began, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ described building on the park as a "a unique opportunity for a win-win-win-win."[59]

A follow-up protest occurred on March 8, 2021.[58][citation needed] Another protest on April 25 was co-organized with tenants from 1921 Walnut St. — a small old apartment building UC Berkeley purchased in 2020 to be torn down to make way for a modern and much larger apartment building in 2022.[60]

National historical recognition[edit]

People's Park was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 2022.[61]

2022 demolition effort[edit]

Protesters and police face off at a barricade near People's Park on August 3, 2022.

Just after midnight on August 3, 2022, the UC Berkeley Police Department and contractors began fencing off People's Park. Protesters gathered after multiple "Bulldozer" alerts were shared when workers began unloading heavy machinery and construction equipment into the park. At about 3 a.m., activists tried to block the movement of machinery into the park by lying on the road, and arrests were made.[62] By noon, 47 trees in People's Park were cut down by a local company.[63][64]

These events were accompanied by a protest at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus. Demonstrators marched down Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street, coalescing at the park.[65] By noon, the university decided to pull out construction crews; UC Berkeley officials said this was due to "destruction of construction materials, unlawful protest activities and violence on the part of some." Hours later the university announced that construction work at People's Park would be temporarily paused.[66][67]

On August 4, a special City Council meeting was canceled by Mayor Jesse Arreguín. The meeting was scheduled a day after confrontations with law enforcement occurred, in order to discuss lifting Berkeley's ban on the use of tear gas and pepper spray by police. The June 2020 ban was put in place by a unanimous vote, with Arreguín saying at the time that tear gas "is banned in warfare and should not be used on our streets or in protests." The mayor said he initially called for the August 4 meeting following the protests at People's Park, but later said that he "came to the conclusion that it was the wrong approach and that the ban on tear gas should remain." The mayor stated that he supports the university's housing project, but said that "it’s understandable that people are very concerned and upset about the construction at the park" and that there is a need to "make sure that people can protest peacefully, and make sure we are protecting the safety of the broader community at the same time."[68]

On August 5, the California First District Court of Appeal upheld a stay on construction, demolition and tree-cutting. This court order will temporarily pause further development work at People's Park until the legal issue is resolved. UC Berkeley does however have the legal right to fence the perimeter of the park.

2024 fencing[edit]

Shipping containers surrounding People's Park on January 2024.

On January 4, 2024, shortly after midnight, UC Berkeley fenced the park with double-stacked cargo containers in an action that involved at least 100 police officers from UCPD, Cal State campus police, California Highway Patrol, and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.[69][70] About 60 protesters occupied the park during the overnight operation until forced to leave by police, which led to seven arrests.[71] The university was not allowed to start construction on its proposed development due to the ongoing court case, but took measures to secure the perimeter of the lot, as several large trees were also chopped down.[71]

Police enclose the park after midnight on January 4, 2024.

On the previous night, park advocates had held an overnight vigil to defend against rumored fencing, expressing concern that UC Berkeley's winter break meant that many students were not around.[72] In a press release, UC Berkeley stated that the park was being closed to "minimize disruption for the city of Berkeley and campus communities".[73]

Past community involvement[edit]

The "Free Box" operated as a clothes donation drop-off site for many years until it was destroyed by arson in 1995, and was not rebuilt due to police interference.[74] In March 2021, community members built a community kitchen.[75][76]

On January 4, 2023, when California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to an atmospheric river storm, community members built a warming shelter, which remained open for 7 days.[77][78]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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  2. ^ Meyers, Jessica (September 12, 2006). "A Portrait of People's Park". Northgate News Online. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  3. ^ Wagner, David (May 5, 2008). "Hip-Hop Festival Takes Over People's Park". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
  4. ^ Gross, Rachel (January 26, 2009). "Residents, Homeless Try to Coexist by People's Park". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "A People's History of Telegraph Avenue". Berkeley Historical Plaque Project. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Whiting, Sam (May 13, 2019). "People's Park at 50: a recap of the Berkeley struggle that continues". SFChronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Harris, Barbara Lynne (November 20, 1984). "Panel dubs People's Park a landmark". The Oakland Tribune.
  8. ^ "In Overnight Sweep, Police in Berkeley Clear Protesters From People's Park". New York Times. 2024.
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  10. ^ "Berkeley's People's Park is again in a fight for the ages, now over UC student housing". Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Toledo, Aldo (August 5, 2022). "Berkeley: Appeals court issues a stay on construction at People's Park following protests". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Newsom asks state Supreme Court to let UC Berkeley build housing in People's Park". April 26, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Brenneman, Richard (April 20, 2004). "The Bloody Beginnings of People's Park". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  14. ^ Retired Lieutenant John E. Jones (August 2006). "A Brief History of University of California Police Department, Berkeley". Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Lowe, Joan. "People's Park, Berkeley". Stories from the American Friends Service Committee's Past. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
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  17. ^ a b Wittmeyer, Alicia (April 26, 2004). "From Rubble to Refuge". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
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  30. ^ "UC Plaza Crowd Scattered by Gas". San Bernardino Sun. AP. May 20, 1969. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  31. ^ "Sheriff Frank Madigan". Berkeley Daily Gazette. May 30, 1969.
  32. ^ "'People's Park' To Get Housing". The Desert Sun. UPI. June 21, 1969. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  33. ^ "New Site For People's Park Developing". Desert Sun. UPI. May 26, 1969. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  34. ^ "Talk Replaces Violence In Berkeley". Santa Cruz Sentinel. AP. June 4, 1969. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  35. ^ "People's Park No. 2 — New Berkeley Unrest: Police Evict 400 From New Site; Break Up Parade". Desert Sun. UPI. June 7, 1969. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  36. ^ a b c d Compost, Terri (2009). People's Park: Still Blooming. Berkeley, CA: Slingshot Collective. pp. 41–58. ISBN 978-0-9841208-0-2.
  37. ^ "To The People of Berkeley from the People of The Lower East Side, NYC". People's Park Emergency Bulletin (2): 4. August 9, 1991.
  38. ^ a b "Tree-sitter renews People's Park protest | The Daily Californian". The Daily Californian. August 29, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  39. ^ a b "Tree-sitter falls from tree, protest ends | The Daily Californian". The Daily Californian. September 7, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  40. ^ "People's Park tree-sitter preaches park issues to passersby | The Daily Californian". The Daily Californian. September 30, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
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  42. ^ Denney, Carol (December 28, 2011). "Flash: UC Berkeley Bulldozes People's Park to Make It More 'Sanitary'". The Berkeley Daily Planet.
  43. ^ Keith, Tamara (April 14, 1999). "People's Park Is Melting in the Dark..." The Berkeleyan. The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  44. ^ Jones, Carolyn (January 13, 2008). "UC Berkeley seeks public's views to plan new path for People's Park". San Francisco Chronicle.
  45. ^ a b "New UC Berkeley plans for People's Park call for student, homeless housing". berkeley.edu/news. University of California, Berkeley. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  46. ^ a b Dinkelspiel, Frances (May 3, 2018). "UC Berkeley confirms that a dorm for 1K students will be built in People's Park". Berkeleyside.com. Berkeleyside. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  47. ^ Chinoy, Sahil; Kim, Thomas. "Crime on Campus". The Daily Californian. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  48. ^ Asimov, Nanette (May 4, 2018). "UC Berkeley's plans for People's Park include five-story building plus memorial". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
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  50. ^ Orenstein, Natalie (August 30, 2019). "UC Berkeley forges ahead with housing at People's Park, other sites". Berkeleyside. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  51. ^ "Home | Long Range Development Plan". lrdp.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  52. ^ Lee, Amber (February 11, 2020). "Housing doesn't belong at People's Park, some activists say". KTVU Fox. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  53. ^ Dinkelspiel, Frances (April 16, 2020). "City, community groups protest UC Berkeley's plan to update long-range plan in middle of pandemic". Berkeleyside. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  54. ^ Staff, Olivia Buccieri | (2020-04-24). "ASUC set to vote on reestablishing housing commission". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  55. ^ "Protestors tear down fences in People's Park". Daily Californian. January 31, 2021.
  56. ^ Markovich, Ally (January 30, 2021). "Protesters tear down fences at Berkeley rally to save People's Park". Berkeleyside. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  57. ^ Freeman, Elizabeth. "People's Park occupation persists amid plans to build housing". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  58. ^ a b Kharrazi, Sabrina (April 7, 2021). "The fight to save People's Park persists". Street Spirit. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  59. ^ Christ, Carol (February 22, 2021). "An update from Chancellor Christ on two UC Berkeley student housing projects". Berkeley News. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  60. ^ Lykke, Hanna (April 27, 2021). "'Strongly objecting': Community members march against UC Berkeley development plans at People's Park, 1921 Walnut St". The Daily Californian. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  61. ^ Roberts, Lance (June 1, 2022). "People's Park entered into National Register of Historical Places". The Daily Californian. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  62. ^ Lauer, Katie; Kamisher, Eliyahu (August 3, 2022). "Protesters take People's Park after clashes halt UC Berkeley construction project". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  63. ^ Graff, Amy (August 3, 2022). "UC Berkeley pauses People's Park construction amid 'unlawful protest activity,' alleged violence". SFGate. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  64. ^ Lauer, Katie (August 3, 2022). "Protesters take People's Park after clashes halt UC Berkeley construction project". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  65. ^ Liedtke, Michael; Rodriguez, Olga R. (August 3, 2022). "Protesters stop construction at Berkeley's People's Park". SFGate. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  66. ^ Garrison, Jessica; Leavenworth, Stuart (August 3, 2022). "UC Berkeley halts site work at People's Park after angry protests and police clashes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  67. ^ Graff, Amy (August 3, 2022). "Cal pauses construction at People's Park due to reported violence". Sfgate.
  68. ^ Kamisher, Eliyahu; Lauer, Katie (August 4, 2022). "Berkeley City Council will not discuss suspending tear gas ban after People's Park clashes". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  69. ^ Brown, Matthew (January 4, 2024). "UC Berkeley launches midnight fencing at People's Park with heavy police presence". The Daily Californian. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  70. ^ Wiley, Hannah; Garrison, Jessica; Rainey, James (January 4, 2024). "UC Berkeley makes dead-of-night push to wall off storied People's Park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  71. ^ a b Allday, Erin; Ravani, Sarah (January 4, 2024). "UC Berkeley erects massive barricade of 160 shipping containers around People's Park". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  72. ^ Cooke, Riley; Brown, Matthew (January 2, 2024). "Campus plans to re-fence People's Park with shipping containers, barbed wire". The Daily Californian. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  73. ^ Kell, Gretchen. "UC Berkeley launches closure of People's Park construction site". Berkeley News. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  74. ^ Barbier, Rachel (May 8, 2019). "UC Berkeley removes 'FreeBox' in People's Park despite student support". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  75. ^ Yelimeli, Supriya (June 7, 2021). "People's Park Kitchen springs up to ease food insecurity during pandemic".
  76. ^ PATEL, ANISHI (June 15, 2021). "UC Berkeley alumnus Nicholas Alexander opens kitchen in People's Park".
  77. ^ "Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency as latest atmospheric river storm arrives". CBS News. January 4, 2023.
  78. ^ Kwok, Iris (January 8, 2023). "People's Park activists open temporary warming center".

Further reading[edit]

  • California Governor's Office. The "People's Park" - A Report on the Confrontation at Berkeley, California. Submitted to Gov. Ronald Reagan. July 1, 1969.
  • Gruen, Gruen and Associates. Southside Student Housing Project Preliminary Environmental Study. Report to UCB Chancellor. February 1974.
  • People's Park Handbills. Distributed May–April 1969. Located at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Pichirall, Joe. The Daily Californian. Cover Story on People's Park. May 16, 1969.
  • "Reagan's Reaction to Riot: Call Park Here 'Excuse'" The Daily Californian. May 16, 1969.
  • Statement on People's Park. University of California, Berkeley – Office of Public Information. April 30, 1969.
  • Weiss, Norman. The Daily Californian. "People's Park: Then & Now." March 17, 1997.
  • Compost, Terri (ed.) (2009) People's Park: Still Blooming. Slingshot! Collective. ISBN 9780984120802. Includes original photos and materials.
  • Dalzell, Tom (Foreword by Todd Gitlin, Afterword by Steve Wasserman) (2019) Battle for People's Park, Berkeley 1969. Heyday Books ISBN 9781597144681. Eyewitness testimonies and hundreds of remarkable, often previously unpublished photographs.
  • Rorabaugh, W. J. Berkeley at War: The 1960s (1990)
  • Cash, Jon David (2010). "People's park: birth and survival". California History. 88 (1). University of California Press: 8–55. doi:10.2307/25763082. JSTOR 25763082.

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