Activists, many of whom have passed away, set up the sober camp in 2017 as a protest movement.
First They Came for the Homeless
Posted inCity
Berkeley’s biggest homeless camps were closed. Where are the residents now?
Twenty-five percent of West Berkeley encampment residents are in hotels, 17% were housed and 25% are still on the streets.
Posted inCity
Residents under I-80 underpass search for housing after encampment sweep
Homeless residents say the sweep was destabilizing in a time when many of them were looking for housing.
Posted inCity
Berkeley opens temporary emergency shelter for wildfire smoke
Many homeless shelters have limited capacity during the pandemic, and most evening drop-in services are unavailable. This is one bridge option, says the city.
Posted inCity
‘The leadership that came from the streets has been decapitated’: Deaths of 5 homeless advocates in a year leave a void
The loss of so many leading Berkeley activists who worked to give unsheltered people a greater say in their living conditions is sorely felt, but the fight will go on, say advocates.
Posted inCity
City sets up hand-washing stations to help homeless, others avoid coronavirus
City workers also knocked on tents and talked to people to hand out 560 kits with hand sanitizer and information about COVID-19.
Posted inCommunity
Mike Zint, vocal defender of homeless rights, dies
Zint’s “Poor Tour” around Berkeley thrust the plight of homeless people in city officials’ faces.
Posted inCity
Jury finds Berkeley did not violate a homeless group’s civil rights
After a week-long federal trial, the jury said the city did not unfairly target First They Came for the Homeless because of its protests.
Posted inCity
Berkeley faces homeless group during four-day trial
A four-day federal trial pits the city of Berkeley against a homeless group that argues its First Amendment rights were violated.
Posted inCity
Did Berkeley target a homeless group for its political views? Jury will decide
Judge William Alsup dismissed other claims that Berkeley violated homeless people’s rights when the city took their belongings.
Posted inCrime & Safety
Federal judge rejects police brutality lawsuit over homeless camp arrests
A federal judge has ruled that Berkeley police officers used “minimal” force that was “reasonable” when they arrested several people who protested or resisted arrest during a homeless camp removal in 2016.
Posted inCity
Update: Homeless protest camp outside Old City Hall cleared out
The First They Came for the Homeless campers who set up Saturday say the closure of an emergency shelter prompted the decision to pitch tents.
