A note of thanks from the chancellor to the City of Berkeley

UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks sent this message today to the City of Berkeley:

Dear Mayor Arreguin, City Manager Williams-Ridley, and Chief Greenwood,

On behalf of the UC Berkeley campus community, I am writing to offer our sincere gratitude for your partnership and collaboration over the course of the last week. Thanks to an unprecedented level of coordination and cooperation at every level of city and police operations, we were, together, able to provide safety and security to our respective communities.

In the face of specific intelligence that surfaced distinct threats to the well-being of those we serve, the university and city came together in support of our shared interests and values. The results speak for themselves: no injuries to anyone, no reports of violence, no reports of property damage, many weapons recovered and no events disrupted throughout the city. In a dense urban environment like Berkeley’s, that’s extraordinary — especially given the already demonstrated potential for violence.

In short, we were able to support and safeguard our paired commitments to free speech and public safety without compromising on either. My hope and expectation is that we will build on these successful efforts to further strengthen and improve the important relationship between “town and gown.”

Sincerely,

Nicholas Dirks
Chancellor
UC Berkeley