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📣 Join the Bulldozer Alert

Text “SAVETHEPARK” to 41372 now! Be ready!

Emergency Update - January 4

Update: the park is being fenced. Come out and support. Follow instagram @peoplesparkberkeley for live updates.

Police at night on grass — Police at People’s Park on Jan 3.

Police surround the kitchen. — Protestors occupy the kitchen.

Emergency Update - January 3

Park defenders are calling for a rapid response vigil in the park, in anticipation of an attempt to fence the park within the next 24 hours. Prepare for cold weather overnight.

Berkeleyside reports, Cal Dining services are preparing to feed up to 1,400 police from across the state, starting at 11pm on January 3.

Official UC permits indicate plans to remove trees, streetlights, and dig up water and sewer connections at the park this week.

Park activists have obtained a copy of UC’s plan to surround the park with double-stacked cargo containers and barbed wire.

Statement from People’s Park Council on Anticipated January 2024 Activity

Media outlets are reporting that UC Berkeley intends to attack People’s Park in the first week of January 2024. Yes, 16 months after UC’s failed attempt in August of 2022 to fence and destroy the park, they have regrouped and now they are ready to go back on the offensive.

We won’t let them destroy it! […]

The university will rely on hordes of riot police to do their dirty work. Do not be afraid! Come join us! When it comes to the park, the people have always prevailed — but we can’t do it without you. […]

Get connected in the following ways:

Text SAVETHEPARK to 41372 — and share this number! If possible, disable your phone’s “Do Not Disturb” for the first week of January to ensure you get nighttime alerts.
For further updates, text “@pplspark6” to 81010
Come out to the park to meet people and get prepared.
Form Affinity Groups so that you and your friends can engage in creative resistance to help save the park. Diversity of tactics is encouraged!
Please donate to:
People’s Park Council and People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group
Visit defendthepark.org and peoplespark.org for info & resources.
Get updates on Instagram!

Protecting People’s Park affirms Berkeley’s radical tradition and the park’s place in our hearts and social fabric. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a place of major historic and cultural significance and value, and is home to free daily food servings, basketball, and companionship of plants, animals, and humans.

Let a thousand parks bloom!

People’s Park Council
peoplespark.org

Demonstration Readiness

Arrest or repression can be a possibility when participating in civil disobedience. The university has always tried to break the free-wheeling spirit of the park with gratiutous use of police overtime.

Take a moment to prepare ahead. The following advice comes from NLG and Berkeley Copwatch:

Prepare ahead

Write this phone number on your arm or leg in permanent marker: (415) 285-1011. This is the SF Bay NLG (National Lawyer’s Guild) jail support hotline. They will connect you to civil rights attorneys who can help support you & protect your rights.
Police may ask you questions about your activities, or put you in vans or rooms with others where speech is monitored. Don’t talk to them! Doing so could incriminate yourself or put others at risk.
Even if arrested, it does not mean you will face serious charges for non-violent civil disobendience. This is not legal advice.

More tips

Bring medications, and enough cash for bus or BART fare if needed.
Tell someone you are going to the action and make a plan for any pets, jobs, or other duties in the next day.

Protect yourself and others from repression:

Don’t discuss your or others’ actions with the police.
Set a secure passcode (not a Face ID or fingerprint) on your phone.
If you think your activities could make you a target for police repression, protect yourself by wearing generic, anonymous clothing and a face mask.

If somebody you know is arrested:

Notify NLG by calling (415) 909-4654 and Berkeley Copwatch at (510) 548-0425.
NLG can track and locate people in the jail system. You will usually need the person’s legal name and birthday.
Most arrestees in Berkeley are either processed through Berkeley City Jail or Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.