Ohlone Park encampment is a public health and public safety emergency: Op-ed

Editor's Note: The Scanner publishes guest essays from community members on issues of concern. Today's piece was written by Nicholas Alexander, Allison Bond, Anais Felt, Greg Gurnick, Kristin Leimkuhler and Stephen Most on behalf of Save Ohlone Park.

Berkeley residents should not have to plead with city leadership for safe, clean neighborhoods and public parks — yet that’s exactly the position in which those of us living near Ohlone Park find ourselves.

Recent media coverage about the encampment at Ohlone reinforces the dismissive narrative that local residents are merely whiny, pearl-clutching NIMBYs.

This characterization is not only disingenuous but also deeply misleading about the reality of the situation.

Let’s begin with the facts. The organization "Where Do We Go?" initiated the encampment at Ohlone Park in October 2024 as a protest. Individuals affiliated with this organization are now among the most vocal pro-encampment voices cited in the media.

In other words, the encampment was not a spontaneous development — it was intentional.

And for nearly seven months, neighborhood residents have exercised patience and worked to engage with city leaders to find a sustainable, humane solution that considers both the needs of unhoused individuals and the broader public’s right to use the park safely and freely.

This larger context has been lost in much of the media coverage.

Although the man from the encampment who has repeatedly been arrested in connection with stalking and harassing women has received some media attention, the risks this encampment poses extend far beyond a single individual.

In reality, crime in the Ohlone Park area has more than doubled in the past year.

Our community has been documenting incidents connected to the encampment, and we’ve compiled more than 30 cases from the last few months alone — including harassment, theft, indecent exposure, an elderly person being punched unprompted in the chest, and possession of weapons and open drug use on private property.

Open drug use and public defecation are commonplace.

Last week, we found feces-smeared garbage on the sidewalk in front of a neighbor’s home across from the park. Is this the environment anyone should be expected to live in?

The Venn diagram of people who can choose to walk or drive away from this encampment when it becomes too distressing and those who criticize us for wanting a safe, clean park is likely just a single circle.

Try living next to these conditions for six months — through the shouting, the sirens at all hours and hypodermic needles turning up at a playground your children once loved.

Many of us feel we've been scapegoated and painted as selfish or privileged simply for wanting our neighborhood to be livable.

Our district has long taken pride in its support of affordable housing and homeless services — certainly far more visibly than most other Berkeley and Alameda County neighborhoods.

And not all of us are homeowners, either. Many are renters, and many area businesses also share these concerns and vulnerabilities.

We fully support compassionate and effective solutions for Berkeley’s homeless people.

But in pursuing those goals, the city seems to have lost sight of one of its fundamental responsibilities: to provide clean, safe public spaces where families and people of all ages can gather — and a safe and clean space for neighborhood businesses.

The city’s continued inaction regarding the Ohlone Park encampment speaks volumes about where its priorities lie.

Unfortunately, the safety and well-being of residents — particularly children — don’t seem to be high on that list.

Save Ohlone Park is a neighborhood group that aims to ensure a safe, clean Ohlone Park for everyone. The group can be reached at saveohlonepark@gmail.com.

The Scanner publishes guest essays from community members on issues of interest or concern. Authors who are not already TBS members will receive a complimentary membership in return. Submit your guest essay ideas to TBS.