Berkeley High knew for 15 years of allegations chemistry teacher sexually harassed students
After years of sexual misconduct complaints, the school district signed a gag order allowing Matthew Bissell to quietly resign.
Long reads
Top Stories
Berkeley gang members sentenced to 12 years in prison for 2018 shootings
Following the resolution of the case, police released surveillance footage — for the first time — from the most “brazen” of the Berkeley shootings.
Berkeley mandated ethnic studies 30 years ahead of California. Now the district’s going a step further.
In 1990, Berkeley High became one of the first schools in the nation to require ethnic studies. With the state following suit earlier this month, BUSD plans to expand ethnic studies to all grade levels.
9,000 homes by 2031? How Berkeley will try to pull it off
The city is making a key update to its housing plans. Here’s how the process works and how you can get involved.
Family still grieves after Berkeley killing: ‘We’re nowhere near healed’
A court hearing this week was the latest reminder for Diante Craig’s family of a loss that continues to feel senseless.
Schools
She tried to reform Berkeley Unified’s Title IX office. After 6 months of frustration, she quit.
Mardi Walters resigned as Title IX coordinator in February 2020 after trying to fix how the Berkeley school district handles sexual misconduct. Now she’s speaking publicly for the first time about why she left.
‘Lobster claws’ test questions land Crowden School principal in hot water
Teachers are quitting and parents are pulling their kids from a private Berkeley music school after the principal was fired in connection with a fill-in-the-blank vocabulary test involving crustacean jokes.
A haunting photo led this yearbook teacher to uncover alleged sexual assaults at Berkeley High
Last March, Genevieve Mage saw a 2003 yearbook photo of her colleague Matthew Bissell inappropriately hugging a 17-year-old student. She couldn’t let it go.
Mental health crisis will outlast pandemic in Berkeley schools
Health professionals and Berkeley Unified counselors are bracing for a new wave of students needing mental health care when full-time, in-person school returns in the fall.
Missteps, lack of transparency plagued Berkeley Unified school reopening planning
Blunders did not delay the return to in-person instruction, but the district was less than forthcoming with Berkeleyside throughout the process.
Policing
He was punched in the face at Santa Rita Jail. He died 10 days later. His family wants answers.
It took 14 months for authorities to release their investigation into how Michael Hermon died from injuries he sustained during a fight at Santa Rita Jail in 2019. The Gulf War veteran had been one day shy of freedom.
As staffing crisis continues for Berkeley police, officers who left reveal why
Veteran officers have been leaving the department in record numbers, walking away from friends and generous benefits to start over at other agencies. What has driven the exodus?
One day, one night: The fuse that lit the Battles of Berkeley
A year ago Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech was shut down by black-clad protesters. We present an oral history of that night, a reflection of the political divide that envelops the U.S.
BHS students get front row seat to the justice system in new year-long class
Don your critical thinking caps and check your assumptions at the door: A new BHS class offers a deep dive into the justice system. And diverse views are welcome.
Muslim college hosts active-shooter drill for paramedics, Berkeley police
Scores of paramedics and police met Thursday at a Muslim college in North Berkeley to practice how they might respond if gunmen one day target the campus.
Berkeley police chief: ‘Our people did exactly what we asked’ in April 15 demo
The latest clash between Trump supporters, including white supremacists, and their anti-fascist foes made national news in part due to images of people brawling in the streets.
City
Pacific Steel Casting Company finances revealed during bankruptcy hearing
The equity firm that bought the company in 2014 only put $2.5 million of its own funds into the business, but took out $11.25 million in distributions, according to Pacific Steel Casting’s vice-president of finance.
End of an era: Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Casting shuts down after 84 years
The closure of the city’s last big “smokestack” factory means the end of well-paid union jobs. But it also means neighbors will no longer be bothered by a ‘burnt pot handle’ smell.
Berkeley councilman to cop who pulled him over: ‘You know, we’re voting on your contract right now’
A councilman who ran a red light in July suggested the officer who pulled him over should let him off, citing a raise for police he had just backed.
Career education is back — but it’s not auto shop and home ec in Berkeley
Berkeley Unified is among districts embracing “career technical education,” despite uncertain funding and a stigma they want to erase.
Political clashes
Jury finds 5 men not guilty of assault during 2017 Berkeley protest
“It’s been over a year of this,” one of the defendants told Berkeleyside on Monday afternoon. “It was intense. We’re all just ready to move on with our lives.”
Antifa: What is behind the masks in Berkeley?
Antifascist organizers have had a visible, and sometimes violent, presence at many rallies in Berkeley this year, inspiring ire and some accolades.
Who were the Trump supporters who came to Berkeley on Aug. 27?
Many activists in Berkeley last weekend described Sunday’s demonstrations as a decisive win for the left, and a triumph of love over hate. But who, exactly, were the ones who lost?
UCPD chief at Berkeley: ‘Crowd control situations are different’
“Our campus has never experienced what it went through on Wednesday,” UCPD Police Chief Margo Bennett said Friday night.
Beyond the Buses
In 1968, Berkeley Unified integrated all its elementary schools, taking an unprecedented approach. On the 50th anniversary of that move, in a three-part series, Berkeleyside examined that history, its legacy and the equity issues that remain unsolved.
A teacher who looks like me
50 years ago Berkeley voluntarily integrated its schools. Even back then the district recognized that newly diverse classrooms demanded a diverse teaching force. In Part 3 of our deep dive we look at the situation today.
All together now
While the universal ninth grade is new, efforts to “redesign” Berkeley High in the name of equity are not. In a special three-part series, Berkeleyside examines the then and now.
A radical decision, an unfinished legacy
Berkeley Unified made history by voluntarily integrating its schools 50 years ago this fall. In a special three-part series, Berkeleyside explores that history and its legacy in a very different present-day Berkeley.
Traffic safety
He sought help for years for mental illness. It ultimately killed him.
Chuck Feezel had struggled since childhood with a constellation of physical and mental challenges that required serious psychiatric treatment.
Berkeley won’t pave any streets in 2018; pavement continues to deteriorate
The city put out its requests for bids to repave streets so late in 2018 that it either got no bids or ones that came in way over the projected cost. Which street is the worst paved? Take our reader poll.
Cyclist who died was Berkeley native, Cal PhD, Truitt & White worker for 61 years
“Berkeley has lost one of its sweetest old characters.”
Crime
Gangs in Berkeley: Police break silence
This week, for the first time ever, Berkeley police were given carte blanche to speak openly about gang activity in town, and what can be done to help those who may be drawn to it.
Jury finds man guilty of murder of childhood friend after dice game
Two weeks after the trial began, an Alameda County Superior Court jury found Anthony Durant guilty of gunning down his childhood friend Christian Sheppard during a dice game in South Berkeley in 2015.
Meeting after shootings draws hundreds
An estimated 200 neighbors came out in force Sunday to San Pablo Park’s auditorium to share their worries and ideas following a spate of recent incidents involving gunfire.
Friends remember Emilie Inman: ‘No one loved as hard’
An artist and a singer, an adventurer and an educator, Emilie Inman was unapologetically herself, a young woman who helped others love themselves better, and was known for her deep belief in unconditional love.
Housing & Development
With council ‘all in’ on Berkeley Way homeless housing, Trust Fund ‘at zero’
Berkeley officials voted unanimously Tuesday night to prioritize a plan to build what was described as the city’s largest ever supportive housing development for the homeless.
Old maps — newly released — indicate Shellmound landmark missed the mark
What lies beneath the Spenger’s parking lot has been hotly debated in recent months as discussions proceed about what might one day be developed there.
Related stories
Special ed in the age of COVID-19: ‘The school bus for distance learning came. But it didn’t have a ramp.’
Berkeley Unified has reduced special education services during distance learning. Some parents say this violates federal law.
