Wedged between tree-lined residential streets in North Berkeley sits Ohlone Park, a greenway spanning several blocks where dogs romp within a fenced enclosure, neighbors catch up over coffee and commuters cruise past on foot and on bikes.
Over the past six months, the park has also been the site of a growing homeless encampment where at least two dozen people have pitched tents and stowed their belongings in the grassy expanse, angering neighbors who are fed up with finding overflowing garbage, discarded needles and human feces in their neighborhood park.
Escalating tensions at Ohlone Park mark the latest flash point in the clash between Berkeley officials attempting to wield their expansive authority to sweep homeless encampments, homeowners concerned about their safety and access to public amenities, and an unhoused population with nowhere else to go…