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| People's Park | |
|---|---|
&sq=Albert Einstein&lang=en&file=File:Peoples_Park_in_Berkeley_on_April_3_2021.jpg) People's Park in 2021 with homeless people's tents | |
 | |
| Type | Construction site, student housing |
| Location | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°51′56″N 122°15′25″W / 37.86556°N 122.25694°W |
| Area | 2.8 acres (1.1 ha)[1] |
| Closed | January 4, 2024 |
| Owned by | University of California, Berkeley |
| Status | Under construction |
| NRHP reference No. | 100007288 |
| BERKL No. | 190[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 2022 |
| Designated BERKL | November 19, 1984 |
People's Park in Berkeley, California is a parcel of land owned by the University of California, Berkeley. Located east of Telegraph Avenue and bound by Haste and Bowditch Streets and Dwight Way, People's Park was a symbol during the radical political activism of the late 1960s.[3][4][5][6] Formerly a park, the site is now under construction for new university student housing and homeless supportive housing.[7]
While the land is owned by the University of California, People's Park was de facto established as a public park on April 20, 1969, by local activists.[8] On May 13, University Chancellor Roger W. Heyns announced plans to construct a soccer field on the site, leading to a confrontation two days later between protesters and police on May 15.[9] Known as "Bloody Thursday", police used tear gas and opened fire on the protesters to quell the riot, resulting notably in the death of James Rector.[9] In 1984, the city of Berkeley declared it a historical and cultural landmark.[10]
In 2018, the university published a plan to build 1,100 new units of student housing and 125 units of supportive housing for homeless people on the site, but a small contingent of activists of residents and activists delayed those plans through opposition including protests,[11][12] lawsuits,[13][14] sabotage of construction equipment,[15] and trespassing on the site.[16] The housing plans were backed by the Berkeley City Council, Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Berkeley's California Assembly representative Buffy Wicks and California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a majority of UC Berkeley students.[17]
Pending a judgment in a legal challenge to the university's housing plan, the park was closed off in early January 2024, when construction workers and police surrounded the park with a 17-foot high wall of shipping containers to prevent trespassing.[18] On June 6, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the university's favor, allowing construction to proceed.[19][20][21] Consequently, construction officially started on July 22.[22]
- ^ "People's Park | People's Park Housing". University of California, Berkeley. October 5, 2021.
- ^ "List-of-Designated-Landmarks.pdf" (PDF). City of Berkeley, CA.
- ^ Tempest, Rone (December 4, 2006). "It's Still a Battlefield". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wagner, David (May 5, 2008). "Hip-Hop Festival Takes Over People's Park". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Lim, Samantha (July 31, 2024). "UC Berkeley Quietly Starts Construction at People's Park, Capping Decades of Conflict | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "From Rubble to Refuge - The Daily Californian". October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Titangos, Lee Anne. "Library Guides: People's Park: Resources from The Bancroft Library: Bloody Thursday". guides.lib.berkeley.edu. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ Harris, Barbara Lynne (November 20, 1984). "Panel dubs People's Park a landmark". The Oakland Tribune.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
mercnews20220803was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
sfg-3aug2022-2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 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.
- ^ "Newsom asks state Supreme Court to let UC Berkeley build housing in People's Park". April 26, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lat20220803was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "In Overnight Sweep, Police in Berkeley Clear Protesters From People's Park". New York Times. 2024.
- ^ "Community Support". People's Park Housing. August 3, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ Markovich, Ally (January 5, 2024). "Why build a wall around People's Park?". Berkeleyside. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ Yelimeli, Supriya (June 6, 2024). "UC Berkeley can build student housing at People's Park, state Supreme Court rules". Berkeleyside. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "Housing Moves Forward at People's Park After State Supreme Court Rejects 'People as Pollution' Argument". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ Egelko, Bob. "UC Berkeley's People's Park development can move forward, state Supreme Court rules". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "Project update: Construction activity (July 22, 2024)". People's Park Housing. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.