A New Mural at People's Park Ends In Police Intervention

On Sunday, Feb. 11, a group gathered at the site of People’s Park in Berkeley to paint a collaborative mural were derailed by sudden police intervention.

The mural — created in chalk, and made to be washed away — was designed by longtime muralist and organizer David Solnit, who was onsite Sunday directing a crew of helpers and community advocates.

Solnit’s design draws on Berkeley history, with references to the city’s “nuclear free” legacy and a depiction of a hand pushing back against imposed changes. A line from Berkeley’s well-known street poet Julia Vinograd reads: “There are many hearts buried in People’s Park, and part of my own as well.”

The peaceful action was first announced on PeoplesPark.org, and drew a crowd of about 80 before the arrival of police.

In attendance was Lisa Teague, a formerly unhoused community member who has lived in the neighborhood since 2011, and who observed Sunday as young children, high schoolers, Cal students and adults contributed to the mural.

“Public art serves such a multiplicity of purposes,” Teague tells KQED. “It’s a visual reminder that the university was over-the-top in its response to People’s Park over the years. It alleviates the wall of metal that is right there as well. It was wonderful to see everyone working together.”

After shutting down Bowditch Street, the group spent their time painting and taking drone footage of the completed work and the artists involved. At some point, a security guard called for campus police to arrive, claiming he was being surrounded. That’s when the mood shifted.

“The police came screaming down the street from campus,” Teague explains. “I’m sure they knew. The event was advertised with flyers; I know they look at our Instagram. They’re probably just waiting for something to happen, like, ‘Oh my God, today’s the day, we’re the guys.’”

San Francisco Public Press reporter Yesica Prado posted footage from the site throughout the day. One clip shows a woman explaining to a police officer that she was almost hit by his incoming cruiser, to which he responds, “It doesn’t change my opinion about the way I responded.”

The struggle between UC officials and local residents over People’s Park has intensified in recent months. In January, UC Berkeley erected a 17-ft. tall blockade of shipping containers around the perimeter of the park that, in the opinion of residents like Teague, is inconvenient and against the city’s municipal code.

“It’s so post-apocalyptic,” Teague says. “The razor wire is icing on the cake. It’s not easily visible from the street, [but it’s] against the Berkeley municipal code, and has not been taken down from in front of the apartment building on the west end of the park.”

For now, the mural will remain as a symbol of resistance until it naturally washes off. For Teague, and others involved, making it was an expression of connectivity that extends far beyond Bowditch Street.

“It was just very nice to have the park’s landmarks [painted in the mural] and not on a plaque that the UC put up because they want to have a memorial for the park,” Teague says. “The killers want to plan a memorial, you know?”