UC Berkeley homeless encampment near student housing goes viral on X

A homeless encampment located near University of California (UC), Berkeley student housing in Berkeley, California, went viral on X after a parent posted a video of the scene while moving her child into an apartment.

Lyanne Melendez, a longtime reporter for San Francisco’s ABC7 News, shared the video after dropping off her son at University Village—a university-owned housing complex located in neighboring Albany.

“I just dropped my son off at @UCBerkeley housing and as we were approaching we saw this behind his apartments,” Melendez wrote on X, calling out the city of Berkeley, the city of Albany, and Berkeley administration.

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While the housing complex sits within Albany city limits, the proximity to campus facilities has drawn reactions from students who navigate surrounding encampments daily.

“The [encampment] not on University property… and we have no jurisdiction or ability to address this issue. Please contact the City of Berkeley,” a UC Berkeley spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“Turns out it’s not really right next to the main UC Berkeley campus, so that’s an important thing to note, but there are still issues,” John Paul Leon, a UC Berkeley student, told Fox News Digital.

Leon, a senior double-majoring in economics and philosophy with a minor in public policy, told Fox News Digital that seeing homeless individuals is a daily reality for students, even if it startles visiting families.

“One of the normal things I go through every day is walking past three homeless people on my way to class,” Leon said. “It’s just a usual occurrence. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, but I’m sure it’s something that a lot of parents would not feel right about their children being subject to.”

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Leon added that he believes university administrators are motivated to address the issue in ways that clear encampments from campus property and surrounding streets while directing individuals toward resources.

Nearby business owners have also voiced frustration over conditions along the corridor. Emily Winston, founder and CEO of Berkeley-based Boichik Bagels, told Fox News Digital that the conditions around the corner from her headquarters resemble a “slum out of a third-world country.”

“There’s been feces found all over on various properties. It’s been found on our property. I’ve had to clean it up personally before. Needles, very scary threats to staff that work in the different businesses here,” Winston said. She added that the encampment sometimes takes up the “entirety of the sidewalk.”

Winston, who opened up the Sixth Street location in 2023, said she’s seen onsite sales drop as families avoid the area.

“We have this awesome patio. We say, ‘Come get a bagel and watch our robots make bagels.’ It’s a fun family sort of event,” Winston said. “And strangely enough, people don’t want to bring their kids around the corner from this because it’s pretty scary.”

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She also said employees have been forced to navigate dangerous or unsettling encounters. 

“My staff had to beg someone to get out of our dumpster. They had actually gone in our dumpster and closed the lid on top of them,” Winston recounted to Fox News Digital. 

“No one on my staff should be picking up human excrement from the sidewalk in front of our property or used needles. This is not what I built this business here to do,” she later added.

Winston called the corridor a “dystopian scene” and said she regretted choosing the location. “Had I known what was [going to] happen… I probably would not have signed this lease, and I would have built this elsewhere,” Winston said. 

She urged city leaders to clear the encampment permanently. 

“We’re all paying rent, we’re paying very significant fees and trying hard to make successful, thriving businesses here,” she said. “And this is just, it’s rough, and it’s really exhausting, and it’s just gone on way too long.”

Winston and other local businesses joined a lawsuit against the city in 2024 over corridor conditions. She said city officials have told her “their hands are tied” because of lawsuits challenging encampment sweeps, but compared the city’s actions to housekeeping that only temporarily tidies up. 

“I know it’s frustrating for them,” she added.

Barry Braden, co-founder and CEO of Fieldwork Brewing Co. on Sixth Street, told Fox News Digital that the encampment has created ongoing challenges for businesses.

“Fieldwork Brewing is deeply concerned about the ongoing conditions surrounding the encampment on Harrison Street and the impact they are having on our employees, our customers, neighboring businesses, and the broader community,” Braden said.

“We recognize that homelessness is a complex issue requiring compassion and meaningful solutions, but the current situation has created persistent public safety, sanitation, and access concerns that cannot be ignored,” he added.

Braden said the brewery has been in contact with Berkeley officials and is asking city leaders to take action. 

“We have been in communication with the City of Berkeley and are asking City leaders to take prompt, effective action that both connects individuals in the encampment with appropriate services and restores a safe, clean, and accessible environment for everyone who lives, works, and visits the area,” he told Fox News Digital.

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In response to inquiries regarding local encampments, a spokesperson for the city of Berkeley highlighted ongoing municipal and legal efforts to address public health and safety concerns.

“The City has methodically laid out its work in the area and our efforts to comply with court orders in numerous filings with the court,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

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“We were recently in front of the Judge on August 13 and numerous declarations were filed in advance of that hearing. These declarations include extensive documentation of conditions on the street. If you review those records, you will gain insight into all that we are doing to address the encampments and address the public health and safety concerns,” the spokesperson added.

Melendez did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.