On November 16th, on the eve of the Berkeley City Council's consideration of three anti-homeless ordinances, homeless in Berkeley opposing the proposed laws and housed allies began a sleepover protest.
In the week and a half since the Council passed the first reading of these ordinances, which allocated no money, created no plan nor defined a timetable for additional services the Council said they wanted to provide for the homeless, the protest, organized by First They Came for the Homeless, has grown to some fifty people and more than a few pets in perhaps half as many tents. With signs, food prep, clothing provisions and security patrols, the Occupation is well organized and, despite some of the coldest nights Berkeley has seen in a long time, determined to hold on (where else would they go?).
Not content to oppose anti-homeless legislation just in Berkeley, First They Came For the Homeless has also organized a number of protests in San Francisco, where, years ago, they had been based. In fact, today at 2:00 PM in Union Square, shopping HQ for downtown SF, they put together an “I Protest Sit and Lie” demonstration, sitting on the sidewalk — illegal in San Francisco for the homeless - in opposition to such treatment.
The Berkeley City Council will take their 2nd vote on the ordinances (item #4) on Tuesday, December 1st. There will be a protest/rally beginning at 4:00 PM at Old City Hall, and a march at 6:00 PM to Longfellow School where the Council Meeting is to be held.
Here is the story of the Occupation's inception and development, using excerpts of posts by Mike Zint, a First They Came for the Homeless organizer, and pictures by Sarah Menefee, put up on the FTCftH Facebook page over the last eleven days.
Follow continuing developments here.
Day 1 We have taken City Hall in Berkeley. We are occupying in protest of new homeless laws, and the right to shelter and take care of ourselves. City officials nationwide are refusing people the ability to care for themselves. Unsafe, unclean shelters are what's offered. Cuts in funding are commonplace and used as an excuse for failure in dealing with homelessness. The truth is, a tent costs $30 and provides shelter, storage, privacy, and a certain level of security. It will also allow healing and peace of mind. These are what homeless need, not excuses. So, why not allow us to take care of ourselves in the commons?Day 2 We voluntarily broke our occupation of city hall this morning. It was decided not to take arrests yet... There will be another occupation soon, with more people. We were unprepared due to the short notice... No drugs or alcohol. No rowdy aggressive behavior. Keep it clean and orderly. Be respectful of neighbors.Please understand a homeless persons view on this. We are not allowed to shelter or cook for ourselves. We are forced into dirty, unsafe shelters instead. Shelter personal often use their positions of authority to abuse residents. Tents are the easiest solution. They provide shelter, storage, privacy, some security, and it allows for peace of mind that will allow some of the homeless to recover from the abuses they are victims of.
I feel very strongly that a responsibly run tent city will take a huge bite out of the issues facing Berkeley...
Day 3Surprise of surprises. First They Came For The Homeless still has 9 people holding city hall... Arrests are now optional, and we will not be removed without them.
Day 4 2 am on night four, at the occupation of Berkeley City Hall. All is quiet. Day 5 No police contact yet.We are in need of material support. Tomorrow the marathon starts and finishes right by us. We need paint, sheets, chalk and stakes for hanging materials on. We have a good opportunity for exposure and messaging. The occupiers are motivated to make this protest work. Community is already developing...
We have had channel 2, channel 7, the Dailycal, and KGO come by. We thank them for paying attention.
And finally, many old friends are showing up. People I have not seen protesting for awhile. My hope is on 12/1, all our old Occupy friends reunite here to hang out, and stand in solidarity with the occupiers...
Night time art party.
Day 6 Still no police contact. Numbers are increasing by the hour. Material support is coming... We have a Navy Corpsman as a medic, private security for nighttime, a cook, and a group of very good street artists. The occupation is developing nicely. We have a couple of problem people. We will try to work with them. If they won't follow the community standards, they will not be allowed to stay in our community. Swing by...Here is a typical homeless story. One of our occupiers here at Berkeley City Hall has health and mobility issues. After 6pm there is 1 available public bathroom in this vicinity. There are 40 occupiers here, and another 30 or so in doorways around the park. The occupier could not make it in time. The results were tragic to the occupier... Think about being that occupier. The city doesn't.
Day 6 ends. 3 am, no police. People will be showing up soon for the marathon. We have prepared for the crowd. [[Note: Berkeley staged a half marathon early morning on Nov 22nd, which began and ended across the street from the Occupation]]
Day 7 We have this piece of art. We want it preserved. These artists are great!Here is a great idea. Please share. I gots a campaign going on FB. If everyone in Berkeley brought one plate they had set aside down to the encampment on Thanksgiving Day, that would be great.
"I hereby proclaim next Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, to heretofore be the official "SET ASIDE A PLATE FOR THE HOMELESS" Day."
Day 8[Posted Comment]: "If the city of Fullerton thinks the life of a homeless man is worth 4.9 million dollars why the fuck can't we build a public restroom for the dozens of homeless that call the transportation center home?"
Day 9 We are heading into day 9. Still no contact with police. We heard the police will observe but have no plans to raid. For those not familiar with Berkeley, the front door to the police department is 100 feet from my tent.We need a name for our developing community. Throw a name into the comment section if you want. We will be talking all week long on the name.
We survived the rain last night. Tonight, we will be cold.
We aren't being fooled... They have no intention of helping the homeless. They want to shuffle, harass, and torture them out of town. This is the tactic most cities use, instead of dealing with the problem.
“Please remove your possessions and leave...” The police finally made contact... A police captain came by with an "eviction notice"... The law says clearly "without the permission of the owner". Since we own this land, and have given ourselves permission to be here, we told them they can't use this law against us.The police expressed certain concerns about a bike chop shop and bike theft ring. We explained that we have dealt with the following: 7 meth dealers, a couple dozen meth addicts, the mentioned chop shop, and ironically, a prostitution ring that set up on the police station front lawn. The Captain was not impressed with not knowing about the prostitute. We let the captain know that our protest is a specific area, and that certain others... were not part of us. That will help protect us..
As part of community development, all members must be considered. Animals are a very important thing to the homeless, and part of our community. Their pets are their best friends and family. Cities often remove these animals because the owners can't afford all the shots and fees. Today, we had animal control come by to vaccinate homeless people's dogs and cats. She also registered some for free...
...Around 50 protesters tonight. In nine days, we have created a village. Coming up soon, we will be forming our own government. This is fascinating to experience.
Day 10 Do we really want to live in a country that cares so little about the plight of the most vulnerable? Shame on you, Ed Lee. This is a disgrace.[HEADLINE]: HOMELESS WOMAN GIVES BIRTH AT SAN FRANCISCO BUS STOP
Community support. Without it, we fail. And they will not support drugs, alcohol, and bad behavior. Thank you Berkeley residents, for the love and support you have given.Today was not very eventful. We had some reporters again. Kris Worthington [[Berkeley City Council Person, minority position advocate for the homeless]] stopped by for the second day in a row. Thankfully, one city council person has shown an interest in our plight. More tents are up. I believe we have 22 up. Around 60 protesters are here.
Yesterday and today are cold. I am living in a refrigerator out here. We have people without coats and blankets still. One guy is in a tee shirt, shivering in a corner. We are working on a way to keep him warm.
We still need more tents... This weather is only going to get worse.
... Things have been hectic setting this village up. If the police leave us alone, we will stabilize in about a week. At that point, all the rules will be understood and respected. The people here are very determined to do this right, and show Berkeley we are not what the press portrays us as.
...
Yesterday, one of the homeless protesters purchased this huge tent for me. My tent was so full I couldn't fit. This is how we are. We share, even if we have to go without. I am without words for this. Thank you Anna.
Mike Zint’s new tent.Thanksgiving is here, and I am truly thankful for all the protesters are doing. And they are thankful to be out of the elements.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Day 11 Thanksgiving is over. A huge amount of love was shown today. Plenty of food, all day long. Thanks to the cold, it will keep without refrigeration.The frost freeze is a concern. Everyone is sheltered from the wind chill. I don't know of anyone without a coat tonight.
Food for thought. Berkeley has 1000 homeless. We have 50 homeless protesters. In 11 days, we have sheltered 5% of Berkeley's homeless population. We have provided the storage for 50. We have provided for ourselves 1 hot meal a day. We have vaccinated and registered animals here. The total cost to Berkeley was 2 trash pick ups.
Today's addition is a community recycling center on the curb. Supporters can drop plastic and aluminum off to help the occupation with minor expenses. A community fund will allow some to learn how to manage money.
We have two possible names. Liberty Village or Dignity Village.