The proposal by Berkeley developers Hudson McDonald to buy the downtown Berkeley Post Office has fallen through after they were unable to reach agreement with the Post Office on a deal.
Meanwhile, police from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service prompted an orderly clearance of parts of the makeshift encampment at Berkeley’s Main Post Office Thursday morning. Protesters, who call themselves Berkeley Post Office Defenders, and a homeless advocacy group, First They Came for the Homeless, have been camped around the building for four weeks.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, officers provided protesters with a list of federal regulations and criminal statutes that prohibit the encampment. No arrests were made.
By lunchtime today, protesters were packing their tents and property on the Milvia Street side of the building. On the front steps of the building, on Allston Way, there was no sign of dismantling tents and other structures.
“The Postal Inspection Service is committed to providing a safe environment for its customers and its employees,” said David Guerra, the PIS spokesman. “We’re giving them as much time as possible to clear their property.”