Berkeley police used teargas to break up protests on Telegraph Avenue on Dec. 6, 2014. Photo: Pete Rosos Attorneys representing 14 people who say they were struck and jabbed by police batons, clubbed, beaten, teargassed, slammed to the ground, fired on with “less lethal” projectiles or arrested during December protests in Berkeley related to the “Black […]
Tear gas
Posted inCrime & Safety, Schools
Police report mistakes, challenges in Berkeley protests
Berkeley police used teargas to break up protests Saturday night and Sunday morning. Photo: Pete Rosos Berkeley police officers used 50 tear gas grenades and “blast rounds” to clear Telegraph Avenue during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in December, but police officials declined to say Wednesday night whether that had been excessive. The June 10 […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Police Review Commission gets first chance for answers from Berkeley police after December protests
Protesters in Berkeley in December demanded an end to police brutality throughout the nation. Photo: Emilie Raguso Six months after protesters took to the streets to demand more just policing practices, the Berkeley Police Department will tonight present its report on how it handled the protests, and what it might do better in the future. […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Berkeley Police release long-awaited protest report
Berkeley protests demanding police reform tore through the city in December. Photo: Kim Aronson After launching an internal investigation earlier this year into the circumstances surrounding anti-police protests that tore through Berkeley in December, to examine how the department responded, the Berkeley Police Department has released its report on what took place and what might be improved […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Police release redacted reports on Berkeley protests
After denying a Public Records Act request from a local police watchdog group, the department responded with heavily redacted documents. The Berkeley Police Department has released two operational plans about protests in the city Dec. 6-7, but most of the wording was blacked out and redacted, so minimal information was revealed. Andrea Prichett, co-founder of Berkeley Copwatch, […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
The lowdown: Berkeley council on protests, police body cameras, gender-neutral restrooms, more
Berkeley City Council, Jan. 27, 2015. Photo: Emilie Raguso At tonight’s Berkeley City Council meeting, city officials have pledged to address several items related to protests in Berkeley in December, and have said those items will be heard early enough in the agenda to ensure accessibility for all who wish to weigh in. Leading up […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Exclusive: 23-minute delay for paramedics during Berkeley protests, patient later died
A man in this building died after paramedics were delayed from reaching him during Berkeley protests in December. Photo: Emilie Raguso A man in this building died after paramedics were delayed from reaching him during Berkeley protests in December. Photo: Emilie Raguso They were just two minutes away, but it took paramedics 27 minutes during the Berkeley protests in December to […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
The lowdown: Berkeley council on energy ordinance, protests, police cameras, goBerkeley, more
Berkeley City Council, Jan. 27, 2015. Photo: Emilie Raguso Tonight’s Berkeley City Council meeting turns again to several items related to local policing, with three items on the agenda (continued from last week) from Councilman Jesse Arreguín regarding local protests in December, and an item from council members Darryl Moore, Arreguín and Linda Maio about body-worn and vehicle […]
Posted inArts, Community, Crime & Safety, Schools
Black Cal students repaint The Big C to reflect African flag
The students from Black Student Union who painted Cal’s “C” the colors of the Pan African flag. Back row: Isis Dillard, Eniola Abioye, Blake Simons.Front row: Alana Banks, Gabrielle Shuman, Lauren Butler. Photo: Mara Van Ells By Mara Van Ells Six UC Berkeley students woke up before dawn to climb into the Berkeley Hills to paint […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Citizen panel on police to launch Berkeley protests probe
The city’s Police Review Commission voted Jan. 14 to investigate Berkeley’s recent protests. From left: Ann Rogers, Vice Chair George Perezvelez, Chairwoman Alison Bernstein, Karen Lowhurst and George Lippman. Photo: Emilie Raguso The city’s Police Review Commission voted Jan. 14 to investigate Berkeley’s recent protests. From left: Ann Rogers, Vice Chair George Perezvelez, Chairwoman Alison […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley town hall examines race, police relations
About 200 people attended a special Berkeley City Council meeting on Jan. 17, 2015 to talk about police and community issues. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel More than five weeks after Berkeley police used tear gas, smoke bombs, and over the shoulder baton strikes to control a crowd protesting the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety, Schools
For black students at UC Berkeley, protests are about Ferguson — and their own lives
On Dec 4, 2014, the Black Student Union of UC Berkeley held the first of three protests. Students occupied The Golden Bear Cafe for 4.5 hours, the amount of time Michael Brown’s body lay in the street in Ferguson, Mo. Photo: Genesis On Dec 4, 2014, the Black Student Union of UC Berkeley held the […]