Once again... People's Park needs your support

The University of California is well aware that as the 49th anniversary of People's Park has passed, eligibility of Historical protection is right around the corner. If People's Park can survive to its 50th year of being a public park, it would be legally challenging to do any development there. A new press release from the university states that UCB chancellor Carol Christ will be revealing the housing plan for People's Park very soon.

Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin, and council member Kris Worthington, have stated they will support the development of People's Park. The two of them claim that the UC is planning on building an affordable, 100-unit apartment complex to house the homeless, next to a proposed dorm for students. The UC however, has stated that no such plans have been finalized or agreed to. There is nothing in writing that guarantees a housing project for non-students will be built. Generally speaking, the UC's business model doesn't including housing people who don't attend their universities. Arreguin and Worthington are prematurely celebrating, when there hasn't been a negotiated deal put in writing.

There are other options for housing other than People's Park. Anna Head Alumni Hall, across the street from People's Park, could be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use building, with a new conference hall on the ground floor and several floors of housing. Housing could be built on a blighted lot at Telegraph and Haste. There are lots near downtown that the UC and the city could collaborate on. Recently, protesters have advocated that the unoccupied chancellors house be replaced with dorms. (The current chancellor has a private residence, which could be made the new standard.)

The population of Berkeley is growing, but there is no growth in park space. If People's Park was developed into housing, the only real park in the south-east quadrant of Berkeley would be Willard. The UC and city government claims that some open land would be left after development, but any building would shadow over the garden section of People's Park. If the city does get an agreement on building a low-income housing project, then it and the dorm would likely take the entire footprint of People's Park.

Every time People's Park is mentioned in a press release, UC officials will claim that there have been community meetings, and that the UC is taking suggestions from the public. The truth is, there has not been a single publicly announced meeting since the UC dissolved the People's Park Community Board several years ago. There may have been private meetings with developers, city officials, and wealthy business interests, but there has not been any public forums.

Public safety has been raised again as an issue; it is a misleading argument. People's Park does not statistically have more crime that other areas of Berkeley. The city and the university police crime logs are available to the public. Cafe Strada has been the location of repeated robberies this year and last, and yet nobody is suggesting that it should be shut down and replaced with housing. People's Park is not the central source of crime in the city. Without the park, there will still be crime in Berkeley.

People's Park is often used as distraction from issues regarding the UC's governance. The UC has had labor disputes, including recent UC police violence against a picketing employee. The UC is decreasing funding to its libraries. The UC is again considering raising tuition even more. The top executives at the university are reaping financial rewards, while the employees, professors and students struggle with cuts. The governing structure of the UC would rather have the press focus on People's Park and a shiny new building.

People's Park needs support, yet again. This conflict has been ongoing, and repetitive, but this is the final year before People's Park reaches the big 50 year mark. This is the year in which the stakes are raised, and the UC is going to push it's hardest to prevent the park from gaining historical protection.

It is crucial that there be occupiers at People's Park, as the semester comes to an end. If the UC is going to act, it is going to do so when there are the fewest amount of people around, over the summer. It is also crucial that there be documentation of all police actions against protesters. There are those who cannot take action as a protester, but can take action as witnesses and citizen reporters. People's Park started in protest, and only protest can defend it. Even if this battle is somehow lost, People's Park shouldn't go down without a fight.