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Berkeley Police Violently Raid Homeless Encampment Before Dawn
Berkeley Police conduct brutal 5AM raid on tent city, slam residents to the ground and charge City Council candidate Nanci Armstrong-Temple with "lynching"
(Nanci Armstrong-Temple speaks about the raid and her arrest. Video 2:07)
At 5:00 AM on November 4, 2016, the Berkeley Police Department violently raided an encampment of people living in tents at the corner of Fairview and Adeline Streets. The encampment served as a safe, clean and drug-free place for those seeking shelter from the rain and cold.
Despite a declared Shelter Crisis in Berkeley, a fire-damaged emergency winter shelter, and a City Council-formed ad hoc committee to find a space that could be sanctioned for a homeless encampment, the Berkeley Police Department forced residents out of bed and into the streets, seizing their property and arresting 4.
Among those arrested was District 2 City Council candidate and Anti Police-Terror Project member Nanci Armstrong-Temple, who responded to calls for help. Armstrong-Temple implored the police to stop the eviction, to treat the homeless residents with care and to provide reasonable accommodations to those with visible disabilities. Instead, the police used force and threats to clear the encampment. While the police were dragging away one woman who was pleading for her cane, Armstrong-Temple verbally intervened, demanding to know why they would not give the detained woman her cane. Without warning or cause, Armstrong-Temple was slammed to the ground by Berkeley police. She was arrested and faces two false charges: one charge of felony lynching and one charge of resisting arrest.
Berkeley Police Department needlessly transported Armstrong-Temple and encampment resident Michelle Lot all the way to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin when they could have been booked at Berkeley City Jail. Despite posting bond on Friday afternoon, Armstrong-Temple remained in custody until around 1:45 AM on Saturday morning.
Berkeley Police Department’s merciless terrorizing of sick and elderly people at the tent city and the apparent endorsement of their conduct from the Deputy City Manager is disgraceful.
At 5:00 AM on November 4, 2016, the Berkeley Police Department violently raided an encampment of people living in tents at the corner of Fairview and Adeline Streets. The encampment served as a safe, clean and drug-free place for those seeking shelter from the rain and cold.
Despite a declared Shelter Crisis in Berkeley, a fire-damaged emergency winter shelter, and a City Council-formed ad hoc committee to find a space that could be sanctioned for a homeless encampment, the Berkeley Police Department forced residents out of bed and into the streets, seizing their property and arresting 4.
Among those arrested was District 2 City Council candidate and Anti Police-Terror Project member Nanci Armstrong-Temple, who responded to calls for help. Armstrong-Temple implored the police to stop the eviction, to treat the homeless residents with care and to provide reasonable accommodations to those with visible disabilities. Instead, the police used force and threats to clear the encampment. While the police were dragging away one woman who was pleading for her cane, Armstrong-Temple verbally intervened, demanding to know why they would not give the detained woman her cane. Without warning or cause, Armstrong-Temple was slammed to the ground by Berkeley police. She was arrested and faces two false charges: one charge of felony lynching and one charge of resisting arrest.
Berkeley Police Department needlessly transported Armstrong-Temple and encampment resident Michelle Lot all the way to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin when they could have been booked at Berkeley City Jail. Despite posting bond on Friday afternoon, Armstrong-Temple remained in custody until around 1:45 AM on Saturday morning.
Berkeley Police Department’s merciless terrorizing of sick and elderly people at the tent city and the apparent endorsement of their conduct from the Deputy City Manager is disgraceful.
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