A SoCal mother has blasted Berkeley officials over a massive homeless encampment near her son’s UC Berkeley housing unit — filled with rows of tents, piles of trash and debris.
“I just dropped my son off at @UCBerkeley housing and as we were approaching we saw this behind his apartments. Shame on @CityofBerkeley @CityofAlbanyCA @UCBerkeleyNews,” TV reporter and mom Lyanne Melendez wrote on X.
Melendez shared video of the sprawling encampment along the 1150 block of Harrison Street, near student housing and businesses frequented by students, less than three miles from the university’s main campus.
The California Post visited the area Wednesday and observed numerous tents and makeshift shelters packed closely together near a Tesla service facility, along with significant amounts of belongings and debris surrounding the structures.
Some areas appeared to have limited space for pedestrians, while tarps, personal belongings and other materials were spread throughout the encampment.
The scene comes as Berkeley faces mounting pressure over its handling of homeless encampments, including a long-running legal battle over the camp at the intersection of Harrison St. and Eighth St.
A federal judge last week rejected an effort by homeless advocates to indefinitely delay the city’s plans to clear that camp, while ordering Berkeley to consider potential locations where some residents could relocate.
Under the judge’s latest order, homeless advocates must submit a list of proposed alternative campsites for 23 residents by Aug. 27, which Berkeley officials must then review and either approve or reject.
The order does not require the city to accept any of the proposed sites, however, and the judge rejected advocates’ request to significantly delay the planned closure, signaling that the camp could still be cleared soon.
The city has cited sanitation, fire and public health concerns in its efforts to close the Eighth and Harrison encampment. Officials have also raised concerns about rats and an outbreak of leptospirosis linked to the infestation there.
The judge said he expects that encampment to be cleared “in short order,” although the city must continue working with some residents on disability accommodations and property storage.
The City Council has also faced criticism over cuts to health department positions and vacant police positions as the city continues to deal with homelessness.
The California Post has reached out to members of the Berkeley City Council, including Councilwoman Cecilia Lunaparra, and the mayor’s office for comment.
I am proud of Berkeley’s status as the city that has helped more people move into temporary shelter and permanent supportive housing than any other municipality in northern Alameda County,” Lunaparra told The Post.
“We can always do more on homelessness, which is why we’re looking forward to the County of Alameda unlocking more of the hundreds of millions of Measure W dollars that are currently sitting there waiting to be spent on projects that will help bring more of our neighbors indoors with the services and resources they need to thrive,” she continued.
The Berkeley Police Department declined to comment and referred questions to the city. UC Berkeley likewise referred questions to the city. The Post has also reached out to Melendez and the Alameda City Council for further comment.
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