by the El Reportero staff
Berkeley police and public works crews began clearing a large homeless encampment in West Berkeley this week, following a lengthy legal battle over the city’s authority to remove tents and belongings while accommodating residents with disabilities.
The encampment, centered around Eighth and Harrison streets, had become one of the Bay Area’s most visible homeless settlements. About 80 unsheltered people were estimated to be living there earlier this year, according to city figures reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. A video showing rows of tents, accumulated belongings and debris recently went viral on social media, drawing renewed attention to conditions at the site.
Police arrived early Tuesday morning and closed portions of Harrison Street while city crews began removing tents, debris and other material. By Tuesday afternoon, workers had cleared roughly one block, with additional cleanup expected to continue. Some residents were able to move their belongings, while others and homeless advocates said they had few places available to relocate.
Berkeley officials have cited serious health and safety concerns, including blocked sidewalks, fire hazards, sanitation problems and rodents. Public health officials have also raised concerns about leptospirosis, a bacterial disease commonly transmitted through the urine of infected animals. Two people in Berkeley contracted the disease earlier this year; one died and another was hospitalized. The human cases were traced to a severely rat-infested RV about a mile from the Harrison Street encampment, while dogs associated with the encampment had previously tested positive for the bacteria.
The removal followed an extended court fight between Berkeley and the Berkeley Homeless Union. The organization sued the city in 2025, arguing that clearing the encampment without appropriate accommodations for disabled residents violated federal disability protections.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ultimately allowed the abatement to proceed while granting temporary protection to seven individuals seeking disability-related accommodations. The court required Berkeley to address certain requests for relocation and assistance while allowing removal actions involving other residents to continue.
Homeless advocates criticized aspects of the operation and called for residents to be treated with dignity. Some nearby business owners, meanwhile, expressed relief that the city was addressing conditions along the corridor.
Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii acknowledged the health and safety reasons for clearing the site but emphasized that removing an encampment does not itself end homelessness. She said the city’s longer-term objective remains moving people into stable housing.
– Source reporting: San Francisco Chronicle and other Bay Area sources.
