People’s Park anniversary

  • Teach-in on the implications of People’s Park (Episode 7 of 8, Part 2 of 2)

    On May 28, 1969, two weeks after the first street fighting in connection with People’s Park, there was an all-day teach-in entitled “The Politics of Ecology” at Lower Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley campus, which was broadcast live on KPFA. Speakers addressed themselves to various aspects of the Park – urban planning,…

  • The battle for People’s Park: round one (Episode 1 of 8)

    A documentary of Bloody Thursday, May 15, 1969, in Berkeley when the University of California built a fence around a plot of land it owned which had been changed from a muddy lot to a People’s Park by members of the community. Students and other supporters of the user-developed park demonstrated on campus and Telegraph…

  • Strategy for People’s Park (Episode 2 of 8)

    Excerpts from a mass meeting about the battle for People’s Park held at Merritt College in Oakland on the evening of May 16, 1969. The meeting was originally sponsored by the Berkeley Coalition. Those attending it voted to have a member of the People’s Park Negotiating Committee, Frank Bardacke, chair the meeting. Afterwards, they discussed…

  • Military gas (Episode 3 of 8)

    As the battle for People’s Park continued, the California National Guard was called to Berkeley. Its equipment included helicopters which patrolled the city and on May 20, 1969, one of the helicopters was used to drop tear gas over Sproul Plaza on the Berkeley campus. A rather large plaza was in the crowd when the…

  • Mass arrests (Episode 4 of 8)

    On May 22, 1969, supporters of People’s Park marched on Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley as they had done on other days in May to show their support for the park. Over four hundred marchers and some people who just happened to be on Shattuck at the time were herded into a parking lot, arrested…

  • Memorial service for James Rector (Episode 5 of 8)

    James Rector, the man who was fatally wounded on May 15, 1969, died of his wounds on the 19th and on the 25th there was a memorial service for him at the Pacific Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley, consisting of singalongs and readings from Scripture. The service was organized by Al Larson, Phil Harmon, John Lemnitzer,…

  • Teach-in on the implications of People’s Park (Episode 7 of 8, Part 1 of 2)

    On May 28, 1969, two weeks after the first street fighting in connection with People’s Park, there was an all-day teach-in entitled “The Politics of Ecology” at Lower Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley campus, which was broadcast live on KPFA. Speakers addressed themselves to various aspects of the Park – urban planning,…

  • The battle for People’s Park revisited (Episode 8 of 8, Part 1 of 2)

    On May 30, 1969 there was a massive, peaceful march through Berkeley in which people from all over California and from other states as well participated to show their support for the user-developed People’s Park. This program examines the last two weeks of May 1969 and asks “Why did it happen?”and “Where are we one…