Campus news

An open letter from UC Berkeley to Gill Tract neighbors

By Public Affairs

Dear Neighbors,

On Thursday evening, representatives of UC Berkeley and the group currently engaged in an illegal occupation of the Gill Tract will be meeting to discuss ending the encampment and other, related issues.

Here are the goals, values and principles that inform our position:

  • The encampment must end. We cannot accept anything that will impede the ongoing and important work of our students and faculty. We are also deeply concerned by the  challenges arising from dozens of people living on an agricultural tract adjacent to an elementary school and residential areas. In recent days we have received numerous letters from members of the surrounding community that express deepening frustration with the encampment. These people, our neighbors, have legitimate concerns and interests which must be taken into account.
  • We seek to avoid confrontation or the utilization of coercive means to achieve goals shared by the university and many members of the communities surrounding the Gill Tract. Yet, time is running out: By the middle of May our researchers must begin field preparation and planting. For this reason we sincerely hope that those involved in the occupation are ready to respect the rights and interests of others.
  • If the encampment is ended we are, as previously stated, more than willing to discuss opportunities for a metropolitan agriculture program affiliated with the campus. In concert with our researchers, we have determined that not all of the Gill Tract acreage is needed for research projects in the current growing season. There is potentially room for both research and metropolitan farming. However, in order to ensure the research is unimpeded, liability concerns are addressed and other community-based individuals and organizations will have an opportunity to participate in any farming activities, UC Berkeley needs to retain its supervisory and coordinative responsibilities, as the institution that owns the land and is held accountable for how it is used.
  • As many Albany residents know, the only proposal for the future of the Gill Tract — if and when we cease agricultural research on the parcel — envisions not commercial development, but open space, recreational space and community space; an idea that was the result many years of community engagement. Yet, here too, we have been consistently saying that the university is open to further discussions with the community about implementation of the Master Plan on this portion of the property. However, meaningful engagement must be inclusive of diverse perspectives, cannot be held under duress or threat and must be conducted through existing venues in Albany that have been established for this very purpose.

Our goals are based on a need to protect the interests of our faculty and students, and a belief that the community engagement process we have been involved in for many years must be respected, even by those who disagree with its outcome. We are also, at the same time, open to a genuine dialogue. So, at this point we believe the occupiers must make a choice: If their priority is to use the encampment as a means to unilaterally impose their vision on a parcel of land with a wide range of stakeholders it will be impossible to find common ground. However, if their priority is to see a portion of the Gill Tract used for metropolitan farming, then there is hope for a resolution based on shared interests and an inclusive dialogue.

Sincerely,

George Breslauer, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

John Wilton, Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance