People’s Park 50th Anniversary — A Two-Week Celebration of Resistance

BERKELEY — People’s Park has been a site of continual struggles for decades. Students and demonstrators had taken over the park from the University of California, Berkeley, as a grounds for activism and protests.

In 1969, then governor Ronald Reagan tried to evict protestors through use of overwhelming force, despite promises of university officials that there would not be attempts to clear the park. In the ensuing confrontations a student, James Rector, lost his life during the struggle.

In the following decades, the university has tried again on numerous occasions to develop the park, but People’s Park continues to be a staging ground for protests and community activists.

In honor of the People’s resistance, we are having a two-week celebration of the 50th Anniversary of People's Park! Come celebrate 50 years of public open space, free speech, and resistance.

Join us for a free concert to kick off our two-week celebration on Saturday, April 13, 2109. There will be tree planting, spoken word, and inspiring activist speakers in People's Park.

Bands Performing: Yukon Hannibal, The Yosemitones, Hali Hammer and Friends, Country Joe, and The Garthwaites (of Joy of Cooking)

Spoken Word: Soul, Sasquatch, Carol Denney

Speakers: Evelie S. Posch, Kathleen Stuck, Max Ventura, Aidan Hill, Black Lives Matter, and others.

After-hours Free Speech Stage (no amplification): an open-mic without the mic, open to all, no hate speech.


More Workshops and Teach-Ins at UC Berkeley Campus (begin at 7pm)

04/16: Women in the Movement - Dwinelle Hall, Room 228 - 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

04/17: Arts in the Movement forum - Dwinelle Hall, Room 246 - 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

04/18: Politics and Song - Barrows Hall, Room 54 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

04/19: Building the Movement - Dwinelle Hall, Room 130 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

04/23: Public Speaking Workshop - Barrows Hall, Room 50 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

04/24: A Fight for Third World Liberation - Dwinelle Hall, Room 130 - 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

04/25: Anti-War Movement - Barrows Hall, Room 54 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

04/26: The Labor Movement - Dwinelle Hall, Room 130 - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

04/27: Author's Night - Barrows Hall, Room 104 - 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM


More Park events at People’s Park (begin at noon)

4/13: Kick off Concert Celebration of 50th Anniversary

04/14: Gardening at People’s Park

04/20: Occupy Discussion & History of People’s Pot

04/21: Vehicle Dweller Block Party & Julia Vinograd Memorial Poetry Reading

04/28: Closing Concert of 50th Anniversary


Join us for music, fun, and free speech galore!