New California bill may threaten independent workers
By Jack Bragen on The California Legislature is currently considering Assembly Bill 5, could make it much more difficult to work as an independent
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The history of The Village Movement
By Anita de Asis Miralle aka Needa Bee on In January 2016, me and my daughter started feeding our unhoused neighbors in the streets. Little did we know that simple sharing would evolve into a crew of 70 people called Feed The People. Who knew that Feed The People would transform into a movement called The Village, which fights to decriminalize homelessness, builds emergency shelters, asserts that housing is a human right, and joins the call for another model of urban development that does not displace lifelong residents of The Town.
Justice for Tony McNair
By Elly Leggatt on On January 22nd, Anthony McNair, 55, was lying on Telegraph Avenue when his legs were run over by a large
The People’s Park trees have standing
By Carol Denney on At 4 a.m. on December 28, the University of California cut down 40 trees in People’s Park, arguing that they endangered public safety, or at least blocked the light. The “long-deferred maintenance”, as a UC Berkeley statement describes it, was initiated without any warning to neighbors, park supporters, and community members. In the weeks since, the University’s demolition of the trees has continued—as of the end of January, they have cut down at least 42 trees.
Stop cutting down our trees
By Ace Backwords on I counted about 18 trees left at the top of People’s Park after the University chopped down 42 trees in
Lillian was jailed simply for sleeping outside
By Andy Pope on To say that there are not criminals roaming the streets at all hours of the day and night would do
Enlightenment is not the solution to poverty
By Jack Bragen on When basic necessities aren’t present, or when one’s living conditions are otherwise compromised, (such as if you live in a
Berkeley prioritizes partnership with tech company over homeless rights
By Carol Denney on It’s simple. Public sidewalks are too crowded for homeless people, but wide enough for waddling robots and monolithic, data-sucking electronic sidewalk billboards with 65-inch screens. Public sidewalks are dangerously over-filled with backpacks and bedrolls but have a sad aura of being deserted without unpermitted signboards, tables, chairs, and rolling racks of commercial merchandise.
Housing and Dignity residents respond to eviction in their own words
By Needa Bee, Kaleeo Alcatar, and Jodii Everett Le’Grande on On Thursday December 6, without warning, the city administration violently evicted the 13 residents of the Housing and Dignity Village (HDV), a service hub at Elmhurst Avenue and Edes Avenue in deep East Oakland. Over 20 Oakland Police officers were present to lead residents away in handcuffs, as Public Works employees worked overtime to destroy everything on site.
True love on the street: treating thy neighbor as thyself
By Timothy Busby on It was January 2016 when I found myself in Berkeley, California, by way of New Orleans. Little did I know
What the UC doesn’t want you to know about People’s Park
By Carol Denney on People’s Park is a landmark. The university doesn’t like to mention it, but it became a city landmark in 1984 “for its historic and cultural importance to the City of Berkeley.” The landmark designation is not necessarily protective, but it’s worth noting in a community being trained to ignore its own significant moments in history.
Homeless for the holidays
By Timothy Busby on It was December 2015 and I had been homeless for approximately two years. I had been living in New Orleans