Crime & Safety

Protesters Arrested During Occupy Cal Day of Action

UPDATE: A small encampment was re-established after police dismantled tents Wednesday afternoon.

Protesters reestablished a small encampment on the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday, according to Bay City News. Some are gathered inside the tents while others have surrounded them in anticipation of further police action.

Police action earlier Wednesday afternoon led to scuffles between officers and protesters and dozens of arrests, according to the Daily Cal. Several Alameda County sheriff's deputies arrived to offer support to UC Berkeley police.

Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington joined the protest in support of the students and called the police actions “illegal," according to the Daily Cal.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police withdrew shortly before 4 p.m. after dismantling all but two of the tents protesters had set up on the lawn in front of Sproul Hall earlier, after a noon rally and march to protest budget cuts and tuition and fee increases.

The demonstrators convened a general assembly meeting and announced that they have assembled a group that will ask the administration to tell the police to allow the protest. According to the Daily Cal, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande and other administrators are planning to come to the Sproul steps to speak with protesters.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Along with teach-ins and walk-outs, demonstrators planned to emulate New York and Oakland with an "Occupy Cal" encampment. Student groups began by gathering in Sproul Plaza Wednesday morning, despite an email warning from Chancellor Robert Birgeneau reminding participants that setting up "tents or encampment structures" directly violates campus policy. The Daily Cal reported that UCPD planned to take “appropriate actions” to enforce campus policy.

Organizers penned an editorial about the movement for the Daily Cal, stating that "UC Berkeley should be a place where political expression and assembly are encouraged" and calling for a protest "free of police interference."

The rules about protesting on campus can be found on the UC Berkeley Police Department's website. Regulations stipulate that protests cannot "interfere with the University operation, teaching and other’s rights to expression and may not damage/impede University property."

Occupy Cal: Background and Live Action

The Daily Cal is running a live blog of the day of action.

The Occupy California blog has published a chronology of protests and occupations in California since 2009.

Former Secretary of State Robert Reich says that the Occupy movement is not a class war, and should not been seen that way. Reich will give a lecture on campus Nov. 15.

UC Berkeley Professor of Sociology Claude Fischer says that "street protest movements rarely turn out well" and that the Occupy movement needs to "get practical and strategic." Read his post on the Berkeley Blog here.

Protests are also planned for the Nov. 16 UC Regents meeting at the University of California at San Francisco's Mission Bay campus, according to Bay City News.

Do you have an update to share about Occupy Cal? Leave a comment or email berkeley@patch.com.

This article has been updated from its original version, which stated incorrectly that the Daily Cal had endorsed Occupy Cal. If you notice a mistake or oversight on Berkeley Patch, contact berkeley@patch.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.