There are other sites: People's Parks

By Olivia McHaney | SF Chronicle | Jan. 09, 2024

People’s Park is only one of 13 sites identified by the university for the construction of new housing. The university is spending millions of dollars this week to have an overbearing, overarmored, and excessive police presence at the park for only one site.

Knowing the university has multiple site options to construct on more quickly and with less pushback, it becomes clear that People’s Park is not a housing issue at its core. The park is a symbol of radical resistance and community care, but for the university, it’s about control. Controlling how students express dissent, controlling what parts of the Berkeley community are allowed to exist in visible spaces, and controlling its image for the eyes of investors and wealthy fearful students who only spend four years in this town.

We can’t allow the UC to profit off a free-speech image while simultaneously arresting, brutalizing and silencing students who stand up for the real Berkeley community.