Public Comment

District 2 Candidate Nanci Armstrong-Temple Injured In Early Morning Encampment Raid

This morning before dawn, Berkeley Police raided and began the forced relocation of the homeless encampment at Adeline and Fairview. Nanci Armstrong-Temple, grassroots organizer and candidate for Berkeley City Council District 2 was injured while being arrested for offering assistance to disabled activist Barbara Brust, who provides support on that corner. First word from Santa Rita County Jail is that Armstrong-Temple may be charged with lynching. 

According to one eyewitness account and video documentation, Brust, a 70-year-old community activist and founder of Consider the Homeless ( www.considerthehomeless.org ) was also injured and taken into custody by police. At least two other residents of the encampment were arrested and injured. 

The raid was carried out by nearly two dozen Berkeley Police officers and more than a dozen City workers. Over a dozen official city vehicles were deployed to tear down the encampment and dispose of the private property of these Berkeley residents. 

Nanci Armstrong-Temple has been a constant supportive presence at the encampment. “I believe these neighbors are an essential part of the fabric of our City,” Armstrong-Temple said. “People shouldn’t be forced to live on the streets, but if they are, their rights for dignity and selfdetermination shouldn’t be ignored.” Nanci visits these neighbors frequently, providing support to them in the form of the kind of neighborly care offered to people who live next door - careful listening, sharing stories, telling jokes, and even bringing broth to the ones who aren’t feeling well. 

Organizers, campaign staff and supporters are calling for the immediate release of Armstrong- Temple and asking for community support. The campaign website for Nanci for Berkeley is www.nanciforberkeley.vote . Her candidacy has been endorsed by Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Danny Glover, W. Kamau Bell and Cal Democrats