Residents and advocates tell Berkeley council encampment sweeps are harming people; council schedules closed session on labor talks

During the public comment period at the Oct. 29 Berkeley City Council meeting, dozens of residents, service providers and commissioners described ongoing harm from encampment sweeps and criticized the city’s implementation of its encampment management policy.

Andrea Henson (speaker 11), executive director of Where Do We Go, said Berkeley Police and homeless‑services staff had told encampment residents they would be moved and that verbal notices and other actions did not follow the city manager's encampment management recommendations. "The Berkeley police and homeless services should not be issuing notice if it's not written based on what our city manager has said," Henson said, adding she would follow up with the council.

Several speakers from the Berkeley Homeless Union — including Gordon Gilmore (speaker 14) and Yessica Prado (speaker 17) — said they had delivered letters and asked for dialogue about use of funds for encampment resolution at a 2nd & Cedar site, requested fair compensation for RV residents and sought clear timelines and ADA accommodations for closures. Peace and Justice Commission representatives urged the council not to treat unhoused people as disposable and to consider alternatives to sweeps.

Council responded to public comment in two ways: one council member announced a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with SEIU (scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.), and the vice mayor noted the council would hear consent items and follow existing agenda procedures. Several union representatives in the public comment period — including Allison Reamer (speaker 21) of SEIU bargaining — stated the union had filed notice of a planned November strike and urged the city to reopen talks to avoid service disruptions.

Speakers at the meeting also urged the council to set aside budget funds for shelter and transitional housing options; one public commenter said litigation around encampments makes immediate housing investment necessary. Multiple speakers tied local policy choices to broader concerns about the national political environment and urged the council to act humanely.

The council did not take a formal vote to change the encampment policy during the meeting; it moved some encampment‑related items to the consent calendar (18A/18B) for purposes described on the record, and staff and commissioners said they would follow up with the public and the Peace and Justice Commission.