Street Spirit December 2005

Rebuilding the Freebox in People's Park

The University of California may own the land that contains People's Park, but it doesn't own the spirit that is the Park.

Story and photos by Lydia Gans

Remember the children's story about the three little pigs? It was time for them to go out on their own and build their own homes. The first, being lazy and having little thought about the future, built his house out of straw; whereupon the big bad wolf came along, threatening, "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down." Which he did and proceeded to eat the little pig.

The second little pig built his house out of sticks, and met a similar fate. The third little pig outwitted the wolf. He built himself a sturdy house out of brick and escaped the evil wolf's clutches - and presumably lived happily and safely ever after.

That story became a metaphor for the struggle to save the freebox in People's Park, the open container where people can give and take clothing; those who have surplus can give, those who need can take. Freeboxes have come and gone in People's Park for years; that is, they have been built by the Park users and destroyed, apparently, by the Park's owners, the University of California at Berkeley, over and over.

The last freebox, an attractive wooden structure, lasted for several years until it was torched one night. Every suggestion to rebuild it has been rebuffed by UC officials; indeed, every recent effort has been threatened with retaliation.

But the citizens of Berkeley continue to bring clothes they no longer need to the Park, knowing they will be of use to someone else. And there are poor and homeless people who have no other source for something clean or warm to wear who will take them gratefully. In the absence of a freebox, the clothes are set out in boxes or bags or just strewn on the ground, only to be thrown out by UC park employees.

Clearly, for many People's Park activists, it was time to construct a new freebox. After some discussions among Park users, a freebox-building event was staged. On Saturday, November 12, people were invited to gather in the Park for music and some street theater.

The "little pigs," Park activists Terri Compost, Danny McMullan and Arthur Fonseca, donned pig masks and ears and declared they would build a freebox out of some handy cardboard.

No sooner had they finished the box and filled it with some clothing, when they were attacked by - you guessed it - the Big Bad (Cal) Bears, played by several other people, large and small, in fuzzy bear outfits!

That bit of mayhem was followed by building a second freebox out of wood, only to have it smashed once more.

The third freebox would be built to withstand attack, made out of metal and sunk in cement. The box part was a metal mesh bolted to the metal poles and protected by a corrugated metal roof. It was an elegant structure and could be easily hosed out to keep it clean. It was immediately filled with clothing and surrounded by happy people pulling out things they would be able to make good use of.

And that should have been the end of the story - but it wasn't. The little pig in the story managed to outwit the big bad wolf that wanted to destroy it; but the poor folks of Berkeley couldn't stand up against the superior power tools of the UC bear. This fine freebox stood for four days and then it was gone. Some time on Tuesday night, November 15, the University of California's henchmen, sneaking in under cover of darkness, sawed through the supporting poles and took it away.

It's hard to understand what motivates UC officials. Irene Hegarty, UCB director of community relations, was quoted in the Berkeley Daily Planet as saying, "The box has more symbolic value than meeting a true need."

Yet, all one has to do is watch and talk to some of the people using the freebox. Seeing someone putting on a warm sweatshirt that they just found or trying on a pair of shoes to replace the worn-out ones they are wearing, the immediate value is obvious. Or finding out that the person who takes a clean jacket needs it for a job interview so that he can eventually get out of homelessness. There are even people who have jobs but are homeless and the freebox allows them to continue to look presentable at work.

For Hegarty to assert that it doesn't meet a true need is simply not true. It is also not true that clothes are "strewn all over the Park," as Hegarty claims. Yes, now they are strewn on the ground around the Haste Street entrance to the Park - when the freebox is not there!

Other complaints about the freebox  - that there are occasional fights around it or that a person might take used clothing to sell at Buffalo Exchange for drug money - these are symptoms of our sick society, and cannot be overcome by repressively denying access to clothing for people in need.

The complete lack of a rehabilitation facility for substance abusers in Alameda County and the desperation of poor people struggling to survive can't be blamed on the freebox. Also, the fact that there are people in the community who have more than they need and want to share it directly with those who are destitute should be recognized and facilitated.

It has been said that the University of California may own the land that contains People's Park but it doesn't own the spirit that is the Park. This little bit of green space in one of the most densely populated sections of the city serves an incredibly diverse population. And it is maintained, nurtured and supported by a diverse set of people, from teens to old folks, gardeners, food providers, churches, political activists and by Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington.

The University of California should be proud of that; instead, it continually tries to subvert or destroy anything that it cannot control. But the park supporters are stubborn, too; and they are convinced that they are enlisted in a worthy cause. As often as the freebox is destroyed, they will rebuild it - until the day when it is no longer needed.

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