
A group of protesters broke through an 8-foot (2-meter) chain fence erected Wednesday around Berkeley’s historic People’s Park and faced off with police officers standing guard as a construction crew began work on a controversial student housing project. The work was halted for safety reasons.
The park was cleared overnight Tuesday and the fencing was put up the following day after an Alameda County Superior Court judge on Friday ruled that the University of California, Berkeley — the site's owner — could move forward with its housing plan despite local groups suing to stop it.