Photograph by Claire Dresser
Homeless residents of an encampment near the “Here There” sculpture in South Berkeley cleaned and left the site on November 4, before they were set to be evicted by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police. United States District Court Judge William Alsup had temporarily stalled the encampment eviction, but denied a preliminary injunction that would have protected residents for the duration of their litigation against BART.
Several denizens of the Here There encampment relocated to the lawn in front of Berkeley’s Old City Hall, where they established a new camp to protest homelessness. Other former Here There residents set up camp at Aquatic Park.
Although Alsup ruled against the campers, he ordered both Siegel, Yee & Brunner — the law firm representing them — and the City of Berkeley to come up with a plan to shelter all unsheltered homeless residents this winter. The plan must be delivered to the court by November 28.
According to Siegel, Yee & Brunner Attorney EmilyRose Johns, the firm is working to comply with the judge’s order. Berkeley is also developing a plan. City spokesman Matthai Chakko said in an email, “Helping our homeless population get housed has been and continues to be a priority. We devote significant resources to help address, on a local level, what is a regional, statewide, and national issue.”
In the meantime, with homeless people still on the street, City Councilmember Cheryl Davila said she was informed that former Here There campers will be left alone as long as they keep their new area clean and quiet. “I’m hoping that’s going to be the case because they really are a model encampment … they are a protesting encampment to bring attention to homelessness,” said Davila.
She recalled that at a recent City Council meeting, a formerly homeless person said they had received help from Here There residents. “They have the empathy and the compassion, and the intellectual capacity … of homelessness to advise other homeless people on how to help themselves change their situation even though they’re homeless,” Davila said.
Regarding current homeless resources, Chakko said that, since 2016, the Hub coordinated entry system has prioritized and organized homeless services. Berkeley also recently established the Homeless Outreach and Treatment Team to connect chronically homeless people with support. Last winter, the city activated the Emergency Operations Center, significantly increasing shelter space.
However, in spite of these efforts, Alsup recognized shortcomings in city homeless services given the large population that still lacks housing. “It just hasn’t been enough,” Davila said, adding, “I’m not exactly sure what the issues are [with current services], but I’ve heard there’s issues.”