Landlords celebrated the end of the eviction moratorium in Berkeley, California, with a cocktail party. The demonstrators disrupted the ceremony and then a fight broke out.
In a statement, the Berkeley Realtors Association, California, expressed its frustration with the city administration and local police, after a fight broke out at a party organized by the organization to celebrate the resumption of evictions in the city – He writes a local paper.
As in many American settlements, an eviction ban was ordered in March 2020 in Berkeley, California, due to hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The moratorium expired on August 31, meaning as of September 1, landlords can evict tenants who have not paid or are late in paying – The Los Angeles Times reports.
When the Berkeley Association of Realtors announced a party on September 13, many on social media described the event as the world’s most tasteless party, where the rich drink cocktails and toast to struggling people and hustlers who become homeless.
About fifty or sixty demonstrators gathered in front of the restaurant that hosted the party. According to eyewitness reports, tenants who attended the event shouted at them with phrases such as “parasites” and “you can go to work.”
Later, some protesters entered the restaurant, and a fight broke out shortly after. According to local reports, a fistfight broke out, and chairs and plates were thrown. The fight reportedly started when a property owner slapped and pushed one of the female protesters.
Although there were police officers in front of the restaurant, they did not intervene. They later wrote in a statement that they did not do so because they did not notice a fight breaking out inside and no one called for medical or police assistance.
The demonstrators left the restaurant shortly after the fighting broke out. Later, one of the property owners filed a report, and an investigation was opened.
