In this article, Berkeley Speaks gives more detail to the issues raised in the Editorial. First, it is important to know about several laws that Berkeley has passed over the years: the Surveillance Ordinance, the Sanctuary Contracting Ordinance, and the…
In this article we want to share what is happening locally, in Berkeley and the Bay Area. We’ll talk a bit about what immigration agencies are doing, and how opposition activists are responding. Then we’ll share as many resources as…
How You Can Help: On immigration defense, food stamps, and other cutbacks Immigration: Important resources Many people in Berkeley and the East Bay feel called to defend our community from ICE, but might be unsure what to do. Here are…
News AnaIysis: Is This the End of Peace and Justice in Berkeley? Half a year has passed since the Berkeley City Council passed a toothless statement of grief at the loss of life, but no call for an end to…
Words and Music by Hali Hammer See the video of “Don’t Let the Vampires In:” !
Update on Alternative Housing Sites In our last issue (Spring 2025), Berkeley Speaks reviewed the status of the unhoused community in Berkeley, and of the Struggle in the Court and the Council. The new development, beyond the continuing series of…
Comparison and comment On November 5, 2025, Berkeleyside.com published a revealing article by Alex Gecan titled “Civilian oversight of Berkeley police is hitting a wall.” Berkeley Speaks appreciates the Berkeleyside investigation. In our article below, we compare selected passages from…
by Tracy Rosenberg The 2025 California state legislative session wrapped up on October 13, 2025. As Berkeley Speaks readers know, we are in a time of a severe backlash to the justice concerns raised so effectively in the earlier years…
By Micky Duxbury In 2021, Maurice Monk lay motionless for three days in his Alameda County jail cell. Body camera videos showed sheriff’s deputies and nurses from Wellpath, the for-profit jail healthcare company, throwing his meals and medications through a…
Berkeley Speaks comment: A grassroots lawsuit against the City of Berkeley for violations of the California open meetings law (Ralph M. Brown Act) has won on appeal. Background: For months beginning in October 2023, the beginning of the intense bombardment…