An emotional crowd nearly shut down the Berkeley City Council multiple times Tuesday night during a public comment period that lasted the better part of four hours. About 50 people spoke to council — and many more were in attendance — to share concerns about racial profiling as well as the actions of police on Saturday, Dec. 6, when officers […]
Ferguson protest
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety, Schools
Protests expected at Berkeley council meeting Tuesday
With two protests planned outside tonight’s Berkeley City Council meeting at Longfellow Middle School, Berkeleyside will be on scene with two reporters and will live-tweet about the events that unfold. The best place to find live updates is the Berkeleyside Twitter feed (no account needed to view) and #Berkeleyprotests on Twitter. Berkeley City Council tweets are generally […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety, Schools
Police warn South Berkeley to prepare for protests
The Berkeley Police Department has released a warning to South Berkeley neighbors to help them prepare for expected crowds attending the Berkeley City Council meeting at Longfellow Middle School on Tuesday night. See complete Berkeleyside coverage of the recent Berkeley protests. Officials canceled last week’s council meeting, citing a lack of space for the anticipated turnout, and rescheduled […]
Posted inCity, Community, Crime & Safety
Neighbors complain about Berkeley Police commandeering their street to get ready for protests
By Mara Van Ells Residents on McKinley Avenue near the Berkeley Police station are seething after a week of protests which saw parking banned, the street blocked to normal traffic after 5 p.m., and police cars and armored vehicles stationed there. Some neighbors said when they tried to go home, police yelled at them and demanded to see […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety, Schools
‘Double header’ council meetings set for Tuesday, protests also planned
After canceling its regular session last week, the Berkeley City Council is set to hold two back-to-back meetings Tuesday night at Longfellow Middle School. During those events, two separate groups have announced plans to protest in Berkeley. Separately, the Berkeley Unified School District has announced a panel discussion this week, for BUSD families only, regarding police-related […]
Posted inCommunity
UC Berkeley’s Black Student Union leads peaceful protest march from campus to Oakland
Despite being shaken by the appearance of effigies hanging from nooses on campus Saturday morning, UC Berkeley Black Student Union (BSU) leaders said they didn’t want that incident to affect their planned march against police killings of black people. Approximately 300 protesters met at Sproul Plaza at noon and, over the course of nearly three hours, […]
Posted inCity, Community, Crime & Safety
Police Review Commission asks for suspension of tear gas
After hearing the testimony of about 10 people who said they were treated unnecessarily roughly during a Dec. 6 protest, the Police Review Commission voted Wednesday to ask Berkeley city officials to restrict the use of tear gas, over-the-shoulder baton hits and firing projectiles as a form of crowd control. The PRC, which put the issue on […]
Posted inSchools
Today: Students stage walkout at Berkeley High
Berkeley High School students are expected to stage a “peaceful walkout” today, Dec. 10, at 2:30 p.m. A message about the event went out over the Berkeley High email list just after 1:30 p.m. According to the note, from Principal Kristin Glenchur, the administration is aware of the demonstration and will not allow students who walk out […]
Posted inCity, Community, Crime & Safety
2 officials demand investigation into police tear gas use in Berkeley protest Saturday
Hours after Berkeley’s police chief defended his department’s decision to use tear gas on protesters on Telegraph Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 6, two Berkeley City Council members called for an investigation into what they said were police excesses. Kriss Worthington and Jesse Arreguín made that call on the steps of Old City Hall shortly after 7 […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Day Four: Berkeley protesters breach freeway again
See all of Berkeleyside’s Berkeley protest coverage. Refresh this page for updates to the live blog. Update, Dec. 10, 4 p.m. The California Highway Patrol said it had to use force against demonstrators in Oakland late Tuesday night after a mostly peaceful protest for a short time took a violent turn. According to the CHP, “For most of the night, […]
Posted inCity
City of Berkeley calls invite-only press conference just for TV news
By Emilie Raguso and Frances Dinkelspiel The city of Berkeley has called a press conference for media Tuesday afternoon, but only invited reporters from television stations to attend it, sources tell Berkeleyside. The city manager and her spokesman have been unavailable Tuesday to respond to questions about the event. Police have been unable to respond […]
Posted inCommunity
Photo Gallery: Third night of Berkeley protests, trains halted, a freeway brought to a standstill
The images in this gallery were taken on Monday Dec. 8 on the third day protests against police-related deaths around the country erupted in Berkeley. While the demonstration was largely peaceful (unlike on Sunday night), it did culminate in the dramatic take-over by some of the protesters of the I-80 freeway. Hundreds of drivers were left […]