UC Berkeley says student group missed deadline to reserve venues for protest
BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- With less than a week to go before a controversial "Free Speech Week" is set to kick of at U.C. Berkeley, there are conflicting reports about whether it will really happen. And if it does, exactly how big it will be.
A U.C. Berkeley spokesman says the sponsoring student group Berkeley Patriot missed three deadlines for submitting proper paperwork and required security deposits to reserve inside venues on campus. That includes Zellerbach Hall, where conservative commentator Ben Shapiro spoke last Thursday evening.
"The university remains ready, willing and able to accommodate Mr. Yiannopoulos and others next week," said U.C. spokesperson Dan Mogulof. "We're simply waiting to hear who's coming."
RELATED: UC Berkeley plans extreme security ahead conservative speech event
Last week, the Berkeley College Republicans and the Washington D.C.-based Youth America's Foundation combined to sponsor Shapiro's speech. The groups paid $9,000 for security inside the venue, but the university paid another $600,000 for barricades around Sproul Plaza and surrounding streets and to bring in mutual aid from outside agencies, including the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.
Because the contract deadlines have passed, the inside venues may be off-limits for Free Speech Week, but Mogulof says the outside spaces, including Lower Sproul Plaza, could be used with the university providing security.
A spokesperson for Yiannopoulos claims he is definitely booked and planning to travel to Berkeley, but it's unclear whether other big-name conservatives, including Steve Bannon and Ann Coulter, have made firm commitments.
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When Shapiro spoke last week, Cal students had to endure a virtual blockade of Sproul Plaza and the closure of several surrounding buildings.
"Honestly I feel like everyone has the right to free speech and be able to say how they feel and get their point across," said senior English major Kashan Stroughter. "However, if your right to free speech is hindering my right to get an education, that's a problem."
In the meantime, U.C. put out a list of reserved dates, locations and proposed speakers it received last week from Berkeley Patriot. They're posted below. It does not include Coulter or Bannon, despite claims from Milo Inc. that both are confirmed:
Laura Anthony will have the latest on this story starting at 5 p.m. on ABC7 News. Click here to follow her updates on Twitter.
Click here for a look back at stories and videos about recent protests around the Bay Area.
U.C Berkeley: Facility reservations held by California Patriot (AKA Berkeley Patriot) for 9/24-9/27:
1. SUNDAY 9/24 SAVIO STEPS 12:00PM-12:55PM Speech by Miss Elaine
2. SUNDAY 9/24 SAVIO STEPS 5:00-6:45PM Speeches by Lucian Wintrich, Lisa DePasquale and Chadwick Moore
3. MONDAY 9/25 SAVIO STEPS SAVIO STEPS 12:00PM-12:55PM Speech by Heather MacDonald
4. MONDAY 9/25 SAVIO STEPS 5:00-7PM Speeches by Monica Crowley and SABO
5. MONDAY 9/25 Anna Head Hall, Program time 7:30-9:30 PM, Speaker Jordan Peterson. Campus will not permit late changes to this event, per UCPD security requirements and campus policy.
6. TUESDAY 9/26 LOWER SPROUL PLAZA, 12:00pm-12:55pm, Speech by Michael Malice
7. TUESDAY 9/26 LOWER SPROUL PLAZA, NOTE, 5:00PM-7:00PM Speech by Katie Hopkins. Interviewer Milo Yiannopoulos, interview subjects Erik Prince, Pamela Geller and David Horowitz. Campus has informed student organization that it may add speakers to this event if it chooses to do so, per campus policy.
8. WEDNESDAY 9/27 9/24 SAVIO STEPS 12:00PM - 12:55PM Speech by Mike Cernovich
9. WEDNESDAY 9/27 SAVIO STEPS 5:00-6:55PM Speeches by Ariana Rowlands and Stellion Onufrei
