had put there over a year before after forcibly acquiring all the homes/property and demolishing everything. The People of the actual community tired of the blight and so dug in and turned it into their own park, with flowers, trees, gardens, art and playgrounds, working and playing together. The Officials (U.C., city, police, state and Nat'l Guard) then tried to take it back -- escalating their f
orce and violence until the entire city was invaded by the military and placed under Martial Laws. One of the very few times any such thing has happened in the United States... at least since the Civil War. People were tear-gassed, beaten, shot, arrested. Until many came, from all over the country and the world, and a massive demonstration gathered and marched to the Park. In the years since, from time to time, U.C. has attempted or accomplished further "proprietary" incursions into the park, unilaterally. Most of these have been successfully challenged, resisted and/or countered. By some. Over so much time, it's become less clear and certain just who is "the community" either of or for this park. Now more than ever before. U.C. is well along specific planning to reclaim the property, to "develop" it by building a large "student housing" building, along with a much smaller. building referred to as "housing for formerly homeless", to be operated by a separate nonprofit organization. The plans include some areas of so-called "open space" and concessionary features intended to "commemorate" the park, its significance and history.
