Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Community Briefs
Bike protest turns ugly at Berkeley
BERKELEY — A weekend uprising that resulted in the upending of
a car, a mid-intersection bonfire and the temporary closure of of
Telegraph Avenue has left many local merchants and residents
puzzled.
What was intended to be a peaceful Saturday-night gathering of
bicyclists at the downtown Berkeley BART station to "Reclaim the
Streets" culminated in protesters’ seizure of Telegraph Avenue and
a cordon of riot-gear-clad police officers.
As demonstrators converged on the Telegraph area, protesters lit
a mattress on fire and bottles were tossed into and out of
crowds.
The hundreds of participants then proceeded to overtake the
intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street with the
intention of turning the street into their "playground."
Further down the block, a car was turned over and its tires
removed. The exterior of the car was smashed.
Berkeley police, wearing riot helmets and holding batons,
cordoned off the demonstration area by setting up rows of officers
on the edges of the group.
The episode saw no arrests but at least one business received
damage from the chaos.
Just before 8:30 p.m., a mattress was lit on fire and the
festive demonstration turned into chaos.
Organizers called the gathering an "orgasmic" event, saying no
one knew when it would begin and where it would end. Only a select
few knew the final destination.
"It should be a very spontaneous, long party," said San
Francisco resident Jonathan Wilkendorf at the beginning of the
march.
To express their point of view, the protesters carried flags and
signs with phrases such as "Cars Kill, Roads Kill, Ride Bikes." At
8 p.m., the group began to light fireworks.
"The streets are a public space and more and more are taken over
by cars which are antisocial," said Evie Christiansen, a Berkeley
resident and bicyclist.
"They smashed the window and close to a dozen books were
stolen," business owner Harvey Segal said. "There was a
considerable loss of income."
Demonstrators remained at the intersection until 11 p.m. Police
then began to clean up the debris in the streets.
Campaign UCLA ahead of its projections
One year ahead of schedule, Campaign UCLA, the $1.2 billion
fund-raising effort, has passed the halfway mark in its goal.
The campaign officially began last year after a period of
private fund raising. The total now stands at $600 million.
Organizers had expect the campaign to have only reached $505
million by this point.
The Royce Hall reopening gala added $1.5 million to the campaign
coffers.
Mike Eicher, associate vice chancellor of development, said they
had expected to reach this point in the spring of 1999.
When launched, the campaign was the most ambitious fund-raising
effort ever by a public university.
Policy department celebrates its 50th
The department of social welfare, a part of the school of public
policy and research, is turning 50 and plans to celebrate.
On Tuesday, the department hosted a symposium called "The Past,
the Present, and the Promise: 50 years of Social Welfare at
UCLA."
The Tom Bradley International Hall will be the site of a benefit
dinner on June 5.
The department began in 1947 with just two full-time faculty
members and a small number of students. Over the years, it has
developed into a international center of study.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.