We need compassion, not code enforcement
By Berkeley Copwatch on The city government works in tandem with police to enforce anti-homeless policies.
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The revolving prison door
By Jose Carlos Grant on Home is a crucial component of the stability that keeps communities safe, and people out of prison, Grant writes.
Gov. Newsom says Berkeley advocates are ‘slowing progress’
By Where Do We Go Berkeley on Where Do We Go Berkeley responds to a press release in which Governor Gavin Newsom says the group is "slowing progress" with encampment sweeps.
Ashby/Shellmound: space, place, history
By Alastair Boone on Though the encampment community is disappearing, a sense of place remains in the minds of these six former residents.
King was a revolutionary: the ‘spiritual death’ of our cities
By Cat Brooks on Dr. King’s vision remains light-years away, Brooks writes, as police brutality and homelessness in cities like Oakland continue to ravage our communities.
How Berkeley made it illegal to live in a vehicle
By Berkeley Copwatch on Here are the Berkeley laws effectively make it illegal to live in a vehicle.
‘Nothing’s a dollar’: Why it matters that the Dollar Tree upped its prices
By Andy Pope on There’s something about a “Buck- Twenty-Five Tree” that doesn’t quite have a nice ring to it.
A note on our cover and the year ahead
By Alastair Boone on The images you see were cut from old issues of this newspaper spanning decades, the earliest from 1999 and the latest from just last month.
My teacher lives on a bench
By Janny Castillo on "This beautiful elder is my teacher. In other parts of the world, she may be considered holy because of her ability to sit in the same place for so long"
Why aren’t CA stimulus checks automatically given to the poor?
By Jack Bragen on Author Jack Bragen laments how difficult it is for low-income people who don't pay taxes to receive stimulus checks.
Garbage pickup gone wrong: Berkeley’s Homeless Response Team
By Berkeley Copwatch on Berkeley provides garbage pickup to some homeless encampments, but this process is often disruptive and ends in residents losing important possessions. It doesn't have to be this way.
10 ways to support Street Spirit this holiday season
By Alastair Boone on We need you to help us grow! Here are some ways you can support us.