Berkeley Sidewalk Protest Against Sierra Club Policy on Albany Bulb

Opponents of the planned eviction of Albany Bulb dwellers staged a protest in the form of a film screening on a Berkeley sidewalk Friday night.

The screening, attended by eight protesters when Patch dropped by, was held in front of the Berkeley office of the Sierra Club, which supports removal of the Bulb inhabitants and conversion of the Bulb into part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.

The Sierra Club office in Berkeley, at 2530 San Pablo Ave. was hosting a talk Friday night by Michael Starkey of the non-profit Save the Frogs!

The protesters also handed out quarter-page flyers saying, "Sierra Club: Please Don't Put People on the Streets." The film, shown on a large piece of white fabric attached to a step-ladder next to the curb, was "Bums Paradise," a documentary about the Albany Bulb encampment. 

People have been living illegally in tents and makeshift shelters for many years on the city-owned Bulb, a bulb-shaped peninsula of landfill in the Bay at the foot of Buchanan Street. The estimated number currently is about 50-60 or so.

Also for many years, the City of Albany, conservation groups and officials with the East Bay Regional Park District and the state Department of Parks and Recreation have planned to clean up the Bulb and incorporate it into McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.

The issue has come to a head this month because the Albany City Council has requested that Albany police begin enforcing the city's curfew law at the Bulb this month. The ordinance bans people from being on the Bulb between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The city at the same time is trying to help Bulb inhabitants find alternative housing and services through an initiative it calls "Project Hope."

The conflict has been unfolding on several fronts, including protests, stepped-up city efforts to relocate the homeless and a lawsuit.

More information about the issue can be found in the many recent news articles and community blog and board posts. A list of the news articles and posts with links can be accessed by clicking here.

-----------------

Don't miss any news from Berkeley Patch. Get the day's headlines and events – plus any breaking news alerts – by subscribing to the Berkeley Patch email newsletter. Just click “Get the Patch Newsletter” at the bottom of the homepage.