Patio seating area at Berkeley BART plaza has some questioning motivation
A new patio opened at the Berkeley BART plaza is sparking some criticism from those who say the move is a tactic to keep away the homeless.
As Simone Arpaio geared up for another day of gelato sales, he was glad to see a handful of ambassadors from the Downtown Berkeley Association busy at work outside his business. He owns Almare Gelato, located near the Downtown Berkeley BART station.
They were setting up the new, pop-up plaza patio seating area, a shared space reserved only for customers of the five merchants at the plaza.
"It's always been an area somehow effected by crime, maybe because of the proximity to BART," Arpaio said. "I don't see who can disagree with giving a safe area to people, honestly. It's not that we are taking anything away from anybody. The plaza is free, Berkeley is free. We're just trying to add a layer of safety for people."
Downtown Berkeley Association CEO John Caner says the organization wanted to create a safe space for customers, as some local business owners said their patrons were being bothered and harassed.
"There were occasional disturbances, but also people just not feeling comfortable staying in the plaza," Caner said. "What we wanted to do is create a clean and welcoming space under the outdoor commerce sidewalk permit."
He says the DBA spent around $1,500 to create the seating corral, which goes up on weekday mornings and down in the evenings.
"We didn't take away any seating for the general public. We added seating," he said. "The idea is to welcome more people."
But some people, like Paul Kealoha Blake, call the decision a privatization of public space. Blake runs the organization Consider the Homeless.
"We're an advocacy and food supplier to the unsheltered," he said. "It is absolutely an issue for me."
He sees this as a way to try and push homeless people out of the public plaza without addressing root problems.
"It privatizes a public space, which makes it harder for organizations like ours to connect with people," he said. "In these very highly stressful times, we really need connection rather than disconnection and polarization of people."
Arpaio hopes the seating helps his business, but said there was no unspoken agenda to discourage unhoused people from being in the area.
"We don't have anything against homeless people. We have always given water and assistance – many times. But criminals, no," he said. "This has to do with trying to be safe. It doesn't have anything to do with our take on homelessness, our take on social issues. We are unsafe. We feel unsafe, we're attacked. This is a tool to maybe, feel a little bit safer."