Homeless Protest Camp: Berkeley Post Office Occupation Raided This Morning, Dismantled, Hauled Away

[KamaAina]

Via a friend's FB:

At 5:00AM this morning, US Postal Police and Inspectors, with support from the Berkeley Police Dept., arrived at the Main Berkeley Post Office, 2000 Alston Way, and literally dragged protesters out of their tents, seized all their belongings, and tore down the information tent, the shelter for our 17-month occupation. While trespassing was given by Postal Police as reason for the raid, no protesters were cited for any infraction.

Two groups of activists – "First They Came for the Homeless" and "Berkeley Post Office Defenders" – have occupied the grounds of the Main Berkeley Post Office continuously since late November, 2014. For most of that time – from Feb, 2015 to Feb, 2016 – we have been told by the Postal Police, repeatedly, that they had no intention of enforcing trespassing rules against us; yet, this morning they put their hands on sleeping protesters, dragged them from their tents, and confiscated all their belongings. Mike Wilson, Berkeley Post Office Defenders organizer – [phone]

According to one supporter, the police had encouraged meth users to join the protest in order to have a pretext to end it.

[Journeyman]

1. A little John Stewart for clarity's sake (compassion being in short supply) . . .