RV Residents Moved Out Of The Berkeley Marina
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- People living in their vehicles at the Berkeley Marina left Marina Boulevard when ordered to do so by police Sunday morning, one of the vehicle dwellers said.
The 20 to 25 people living in vehicles have relocated to the parking lot of the Hs. Lordships restaurant at 199 Seawall Drive.
"The police came and told everybody we had to leave right then or they would start towing peoples' homes, so we had to move as quickly as we could," said Amber, who was among those relocated.
The vehicle dwellers were living in about a dozen large recreational vehicles lined up on Marina Boulevard. But there were complaints from people using the marina about the garbage and sewage they were generating.
While they have relocated from the Marina, they may not be able to stay in the closed restaurant's parking lot long either. Police have given them a 11 p.m. deadline to move out of the lot.
Housing advocates say Berkeley officials are turning their backs on the plight of the RV residents.
"What they are essentially saying to these people -- families, disabled people, veterans -- you can't be here and we are not telling you where you can go -- basically just get out of town," said Osha Neumann from the East Bay Community Law Center.
Amber described the group of vehicle dwellers, who she said had lived at the Berkeley Marina for many months, as "an unintentional community." She said the community includes families with children.
