Berkeley’s top cop seeks pepper spray to quell protesters

As officials brace for what could be a heated confrontation when conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro comes to the UC Berkeley campus, Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood has made an unusual request: permission to use pepper spray on violent protesters.

The City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to overturn a 20-year ban on using the chemical irritant as a form of crowd control. Political will appears to be building behind Greenwood’s pepper spray proposal, which is among several security measures that campus officials may impose when Shapiro takes the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday in Zeller-

bach Hall.

Sections of the UC Berkeley campus are to be be closed off, and officials will request photo identification from attendees.

City politicians say they are fed up with repeated sparring between right- and left-wing extremists, who use the famously liberal city as a staging ground. But university officials are in a tough spot, trying to uphold Berkeley’s reputation as a haven for free speech.

“Our commitment to free speech, as well as to the law, mandates that the students who invited Shapiro be able to host their event for those who wish to hear him speak,” Paul Alivisatos, the school’s executive vice chancellor and provost, wrote in a letter released Thursday to the campus community. “Our commitment to the principles of community mandates that all students, faculty and staff be able to be present on campus, engaging in their regular academic activities without fear.”

Shapiro, the former editor at large for the right-wing Breitbart News website, was invited to the school by Berkeley College Republicans and the Young America’s Foundation, an organization of conservative students.

The campus is bracing for possible protests of Shapiro’s appearance. Masked agitators among peaceful protesters caused $100,000 of damage on campus and burned police equipment in February, causing the cancellation of a speech by former Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos. A scheduled speech by conservative provocateur Ann Coulter was canceled in April over safety concerns.

University police will establish a perimeter around the area where Shapiro will speak, starting about three hours before his appearance. Five buildings in the area will be closed, including Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union and Sproul Hall.

The campus noted “an increased and highly visible police presence will be on campus on Sept 14.”

Only those with tickets will be allowed inside the perimeter. Photo identification is required to pick up tickets, campus officials said.

The school is offering students and school employees counseling services for those who may feel their “sense of safety and belonging” is affected by the event.

Shapiro and event organizers have criticized school officials for offering only half of Zellerbach Hall’s 2,000 seats for the sold-out event.

“Tickets for my speech at Berkeley sold out in the first 45 minutes. That’s why @UCBerkeley should release the other 1,000 tickets now,” Shapiro posted Friday morning on Twitter.

But the Police Department advised the university to close access to the roughly 1,000 seats in the balcony because of increased risk posed by a full house if there’s a disturbance and to eliminate the possibility of agitators throwing items from the balcony, said Dan Mogulof, a university spokesman.