In a move that critics are calling “one of the most tasteless events I’ve ever heard of,” Berkeley landlords are celebrating the end of eviction protections in the East Bay city with a cocktail party. The Berkeley Property Owners Association, a trade group for rental property owners in Berkeley, apparently believes regaining the right to throw people out of their homes is cause for celebration — or at least a networking event. The “Fall Social Mixer: Celebrating the End of the Eviction Moratorium” is set for the evening of Sept. 12; the event was first spotted by Berkeleyside.
About an hour passed before protesters entered the bar, at which point multiple fights broke out, Berkeleyside reported. According to one witness, a male BPOA member who attended the event slapped a female protester in the face and pushed her. Videos of the event show other violent altercations, including a protester knocking a party attendee’s eyeglasses off and a party attendee swinging their fist toward a protester.
Statement by the Landlord association:
“We condemn the actions of hostile dissidents who disrupted a private gathering at a local restaurant to intimidate, harass, and physically assault our members who are law-abiding small business owners,” read part of a statement, which was shared with SFGATE.
“Hostile dissidents” is some interesting phrasing for local residents chanting outside of a bar.
it’s always disconcerting when they go out of their way to say this as if they expect it to make them seem sympathetic
They think people interpret it as “Struggling smol bean trying to get ahead in the world” and not “My worst ever boss who was an absolutely gigantic fascist”