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1of6Protesters attempt to push down a gate surrounding People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif. on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Protesters gathered to decry the clearing out of the park in preparation for the development of student housing. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)Brontë Wittpenn/APShow MoreShow Less2of6A police battalion from The University of California, Berkeley called to protect historic People’s Park as construction on a student housing project began marches away from the site after work was halted for safety reasons in Berkeley, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.Michael Liedtke/APShow MoreShow Less3of64of6A protester uses bolt cutters to take down part of the fence that the University of California, Berkeley erected around historic People’s Park so a construction crew could begin work on a long-planned student housing project Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022 in Berkeley, Calif. The university halted construction early Wednesday afternoon, citing safety concerns.Michael Liedtke/APShow MoreShow Less5of6Naya Rose cries out after being arrested at People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif. on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Protesters gathered to decry the clearing out of the park in preparation for the development of student housing. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)Brontë Wittpenn/APShow MoreShow Less6of6
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — University of California, Berkeley police officers arrested seven people during a clash with demonstrators protesting a controversial student housing project at the historic People’s Park in Berkeley, university officials said Thursday.
The police officers were standing guard Wednesday as a construction crew began cutting down trees when protesters knocked down a chain link fence and entered the park. They destroyed construction materials and faced off with officers, injuring two of them, the university said in a statement.
They were arrested on various charges, including battery on a peace officer, trespassing and resisting an officer. One of them was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, the university said.
The work was halted due to safety concerns and officials will in the coming days assess the best way to proceed to build “this urgently needed student housing project,” the university said.
The university plans to build a complex that would accommodate about 1,100 students as well as 125 formerly homeless people. Part of the park will be set aside to commemorate its historic significance in the civil rights movement.
