Following a classmate’s death, five students called on the City Council to prioritize funding student mental health programs. “We were converting our grief into something meaningful,” one said.
Suicide
Posted inCrime & Safety
Police investigate apparent suicide near UC Berkeley
Telegraph Avenue, to the left, was blocked off at Durant on Wednesday morning. Photo: @trynriley Update, Feb. 25, 4:20 p.m. The coroner’s office has identified the woman who died as 25-year-old Hanaa Djouider, and classified the case as an apparent suicide. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt injuries. She is listed in […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Woman dies in suicide near Berkeley’s Old City Hall
Berkeley’s Old City Hall, at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Photo by Melati Citrawireja Berkeley’s Old City Hall, at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Photo by Melati Citrawireja Update, Jan. 8, 6:20 p.m. The woman was identified as Shelley Bergum, 63, of Berkeley. Update, 5:40 p.m. The woman has succumbed to her injuries, authorities report. […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Man commits suicide in Little Farm parking lot
Tilden’s Little Farm is a popular family destination for many East Bay residents. Photo: Mary Flaherty Tilden’s Little Farm is a popular family destination for many East Bay residents. Photo: Mary Flaherty A man in his late 60s killed himself in the Tilden Little Farm parking lot on Friday afternoon after leaving a note about […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
BART promotes suicide prevention line as incidents spike
Mental health advocate Kevin Hines speaks in front of the new BART signage listing the Suicide Lifeline Number. Photo: Seung Y. Lee BART hosted a press conference in its downtown Berkeley station Tuesday to announce a new campaign to combat a recent spike in suicides on its train tracks. By mid-March, there had already been six crashes and five fatalities, […]
Posted inCommunity, Events
Out of Darkness walk aims to end silence around suicide
People at the Out of the Darkness Walk pause and reflect during a walk to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. Photo: Vivian Liu People at the Out of the Darkness Walk pause and reflect during a walk to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. Photo: Vivian Liu By Katherine Griffin Nine years ago this […]
Posted inSchools
Noose at Berkeley High raised concerns over past suicide
The noose that was discovered hanging from a tree at BHS on the afternoon of Wednesday Oct. 1. Photo: Anonymous tipster The noose that was discovered hanging from a tree at BHS on the afternoon of Wednesday Oct. 1. Photo: Anonymous tipster Berkeley High administrators considered whether a noose found hanging in a tree earlier this month might have […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Fire, Schools
Potentially hazardous chemical suicide in Berkeley called for collaborative response, cautious approach
The death by deadly chemical of a former UC Berkeley professor on Tuesday, March 18, triggered a significant joint command response and saw a city block shut down for more than six hours. Photo: David Yee The death by chemical suicide earlier this week of a former UC Berkeley professor left many in the community […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Schools
Chemical suicide victim was UC Berkeley professor
Sydney Kustu, who was found dead at the Berkeley City Club on Tuesday March 18. Photo: UC Berkeley The woman who committed suicide using a toxic chemical on Tuesday at the Berkeley City Club, prompting a hazardous materials evacuation, was a former professor at UC Berkeley. She killed herself on her 71st birthday. Sydney Kustu was […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Elderly woman commits suicide with toxic chemical at Berkeley City Club, leaves note to warn authorities
Police and fire personnel responded to a suicide with hazardous materials at the Berkeley City Club at 2315 Durant Ave. in Berkeley, on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Photo: David Yee UPDATE, March 19: Authorities identified the woman who was found dead at the Berkeley City Club on Tuesday as 71-year-old Sydney Kustu. Read more about Kustu in […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Schools
Berkeley High suicide victim’s family mourns
Michael Babe Hamilton. Courtesy: Family photo The family of the young man who died of an apparent suicide at Berkeley High School on Monday told Berkeleyside this week they were not sure how he had ended up there, and said he had been struggling in recent years with drug addiction. Authorities identified the 21-year-old as […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Schools
Update: Man who committed suicide at BHS identified
A young man was found dead on the Berkeley High School campus on Monday, Feb. 17. UPDATE, Feb. 18, 3:55 p.m.: Berkeley Police say the young man who committed suicide on the Berkeley High campus was 21-year-old Michael B. Hamilton. There is nothing to suggest that the death wasn’t a suicide, said Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer […]