City crews began dismantling the Harrison and Eighth Street homeless encampment on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. The city posted evacuation notices on Sept. 11, 2026, giving residents four days to vacate before Berkeley police appeared at 6:00 a.m. to begin clearing procedures. By Wednesday evening, crews had cleared the site’s most densely populated areas, displacing dozens of encampment residents. People living in RVs and other vehicles were permitted to remain at the site, as well as seven disabled residents granted temporary injunctive relief due to a federal court order. According to camp residents, about 80 people had been living there prior to the sweep.
Residents were woken by police to gather their belongings before city crews arrived in hazmat suits, using heavy machinery to dismantle the encampment. Approximately 20 to 40 residents were cleared from the site during this period. The city was required to provide essential items such as tents, sleeping bags, and basic clothing, however according to residents and advocates, only three tents were distributed during the sweep.
The camp’s removal follows over a year of legal conflict between the city and the Berkeley Homeless Union (BHU) over the rights of the encampment residents. In February 2025, BHU and three plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit against the city, challenging efforts to close the encampment and seeking protections for residents. The lawsuit focused on providing proper accommodations for disabled residents under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
City officials have pointed to public safety risks including fire hazards, public nuisance conditions, and the need for rodent control as motivating the sweep. The first reported human infections of leptospirosis (a bacterial disease spread through rat urine) in over a decade in Berkeley was detected in late 2025. BHU argued the rat problem was a result of the city’s removal of a dumpster that the camp relied on.
The encampment is yet to be entirely cleared, and while disability accomodations are still being finalized the city has yet to publicize concrete future plans.