Construction crews have added razor wire to part of the shipping container wall that now surrounds People’s Park.
UC Berkeley spokesperson Kyle Gibson said the “security wire” was installed on portions of the wall near buildings on the west side of the property, and would not fully encircle the site. Officials were concerned someone could scale those buildings, then have an easier time getting on top of the barrier that was constructed last week, Gibson said.
“It’s meant to prevent people from being able to easily climb on top of the containers,” he said. “It’s purely there for safety and security.”
The 160 double-stacked shipping containers, some of which have also been outfitted with security cameras and lights, are meant to secure the open space through construction of a 1,100-bed student and supportive housing complex now before the state Supreme Court.
When Berkeleyside asked Gibson last week whether the barrier would include razor wire, he said he did not know of any plans to use it; on Thursday, he said, “I was not aware of any plans for security wire at that point,” but officials “decided that some was needed there.”
Gibson declined to comment on whether UC Berkeley plans to install any additional features on the barrier, but said security staff will be “actively monitoring” the site.
Enrique Marisol, a park activist who was arrested when law enforcement cleared the open space last week, called the step “laughable.”
“This is the type of wall that they use on the U.S.-Mexico border,” Marisol said. “It’s insane to see that in a residential neighborhood surrounding a place where people hang out and get free food and listen to hippy music.”
