Hundreds of students gathered on Upper Sproul this afternoon in commemoration of Chris Wootton, the graduating senior who was stabbed to death in a drunken altercation last Satuday. Wootton’s brothers from the Sigma Pi fraternity spoke in memory of Wootton. As one, they shouted, “Rock on, Wootton!” at the speech’s end.

Wootton’s girlfriend, Brandy DeOrnellas, also spoke. In a breaking voice, DeOrnellas stressed Wootton’s commitment to religion and love, as well the futility and wastefulness of fighting the people you love. read more »

With the crime that recently worried students and sent the LJ Community into a bigger frenzy than an earthquake might, we decided it was time to take matters into our own hands. We know you’re too proud to use BearWALK, so we came up with the top ten suggestions for ensuring your personal safety.

Note: You should know by now to not take us so seriously.

10. Fire arms. No, literally: Set your arms ablaze and brandish boldly.
9. Grab Harry Potter’s Invisibility Cloak. Or, better yet, get over the series and just chuck your fat tome at any attacker. Also, the epilogue sucked. There, we said it.
8. Carry around your hookah ’cause, hey, everyone likes the guy with the hookah.
7. Call the ASUC to do something about it.
6. Tote your own taser.
5. Join Student Action–get it DONE.
4. Put your trust in the university. Student No. 16273637, we have your utmost security in mind.
3. Live in Oakland.
2. Let the university believe it needs to protect you from raging football fans. Carry around a ten-foot fence wherever you go.
1. Pass out flyers. Watch your supposed assailant whip out an iPod, a cell phone and sunglasses in one second flat.

Earlier: UCPD E-mails Students About Recent Crime

(Video no longer available)

Why is the Clog putting up this clip of former Secretary of Labor and professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy Robert Reich on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”? It’s awesome, for one. And practically speaking, we think it shows the “get tough on crime” approach we need in the face of recent events. We hope the Berkeley police will get the memo. Let’s get Conan to lead the crackdown.

Robert Reich Buddy Cop [YouTube]
Earlier: UCPD E-mails Students about Recent Crime, CalTV Chats with Conan O’Brien about Red Hair, Balls and Crazy Wife

Students received an e-mail from UCPD and Jonathan Poullard, dean of students, about recent crime in our community. We’re posting the highlights here to help improve campus safety. Because knowing is half the battle.

The following is very sic:

bq. As you may be aware there were a number of armed robberies on campus and near the residence halls that occurred over the past two weeks. It’s important to realize that as with any college campus, ours is not immune from crime. While the Berkeley campus and surrounding areas are generally as safe as other urban areas, the surge over the past two weeks in incidents of robbery, some involving weapons, was unusual. UC Police Department (UCPD) and the City of Berkeley police are aware of the problem and are taking extra measures in response. These include increased uniformed and plain-clothes patrols, as well as
coordination with other local agencies to analyze the trends.

bq. We want to be sure you have accurate information about these recent incidents. There have been nine robberies between September 1 and September 10 on and around the Berkeley campus. Suspects have been arrested in four of the nine
cases. We understand that these crimes have raised concerns about safety. We share these concerns and have been working to address them.

bq. The robbery that occurred on campus near Haviland Hall on Monday evening, September 10 caused the most reaction from our community. In that case, the victim was stuck by several pellets fired from a bb gun. The victim was also punched and kicked after initially resisting the robbery attempt. UCPD was called and advised that there was a robbery in progress and that shots were fired and that the victim may be injured. UCPD officers arrived very soon after the call, saw the two juvenile suspects and pursued them. One was caught quickly. Although the other suspect eluded officers for nearly 90 minutes; he was located and apprehended and found to be in possession of the
bb gun. During the search for the second suspect, our officers asked people in the area to “shelter in place” in their offices or residences. The arrests on Monday evening led to other cases being closed, and detectives from the City of Berkeley and the UCPD are following up on other leads.

The e-mail notes a few numbers of use:

* For emergencies on or around the campus: 510-642-3333. UCPD will respond.

* BearWALK: 510-642-WALK. You can use the number after dusk and before 1:45am. BearWALK will send a uniformed Community Service Office to escort you anywhere within four or five blocks of campus. Usually, the CSOs are students. Several of the Clogs friends work or have worked at BearWALK in the past. Highly recommended.

* Night Safety Shuttles: 510-642-WALK. Find out when the next shuttle stops near you. You can use the Night Safety Shuttle to travel to BART or to the southside residence halls. The Ride-To-Your-Door lines allow you to ride all the way home within service area boundaries.

* Owl Service: 510-642-6760. Between 3 a.m. and 5:45 a.m., UCPD offers van pick up and drop off service from door to door.

This week in police log is all about vandalism. Vandalism on the walls, vandalism in the buildings and vandalism against common sense. We also have plenty of Cal spirit, with guest appearances from the Band and from the ASUC Senate (we think). Thursday, August 23, 2007 2:28 a.m., ASUC: Vandalism via window break and public intoxication.Vandalism and drinking. To make it interesting, we really hope it was the incoming ASUC President Van Nguyen. There’s some history to be upheld here.12:23 a.m., Lower Sproul Plaza: Female student refused to show ID.Well, at least she wasn’t caught without ID in the UCLA library.Wednesday, August 22, 2007 11:45 a.m., New Underhill Parking Lot: Vandalism via multi-colored spray paint, various locations, PPCS notified. Under investigation.Look, spontaneous artwork of the urban underclass ought to be celebrated a resistance to the system. Unless it sucks, then paint that shit over quick.3:20 p.m., Strawberry Creek/Eucalyptus Grove: Two men, loitering in bushes.It boggles the mind to think about what these two upstanding citizens were doing in those bushes. The Clog will assume that they were playing with Magic cards until we learn otherwise.Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:23 p.m., Vine/Scenic: Suspicious circumstance regarding graffiti.Should have used the Facebook graffiti maker.Monday, August 20, 2007 3:40 p.m., Dwinelle Annex: Man given civil advice regarding a disturbance caused by Cal Band.In a Clog exclusive, we have learned exactly what that civil advice was: Shout “Cal Band Great” after they finish playing. There can be no other advice.12:11 p.m., 2360 Telegraph Avenue: Outside assist with the arrest of man for petty theft and possession of counterfeit money. To BPD Jail.The street people may want to look into this. Instead of asking for money, seize the initiative and make your own.Sunday, August 19, 2007 4:01 p.m: 15-year-old woman given civil advice regarding a confusing text message.Here’s our handy guide for future confusion:U= YouR= ArePWN= P to the ownedLol= Laughing out loudROLFMAO= Rolling on the floor laughing my ass offBBQ= BarbequeWTF= What the fuckIMHO= In my humble opinionFTW= For the winZomg= Z Oh my GodTBIOOTF, TBIOOTF= The Band is out on the field, The Band is out on the fieldn00b= Don’t even askPoLo is compiled from the UC Police Department’s online Daily Activity Bulletin.Earlier: PoLo: A Little Disturbed.

Berkeley Police have released sketches in relation to two sexual assaults that have occurred in the last month or so.

Last week, police issued a warning, telling the community to be on the lookout for a suspect or suspects in connection to two different incidents of assault that happened on the Southside in the last month.

The sketch on the left is of the suspect police are looking for in the Hillegass Avenue case. The sketch on the right is for the man police are looking for in the Haste Street incident.

If you have any information, police ask you to call either Berkeley police at 510-981-5900 or UCPD at 510-642-6760.

Image Source: Berkeley Police Department
Earlier: Police Issue Warning After Recent Assaults
Sketches Released In Berkeley Sexual Assault Cases [NBC11.com]

Police say that in the last month or so, two college-age women have been assaulted in the lobby of their apartment building. This has caused police to issue a warning for college-age women in the area to be on the watch.

The first incident occurred July 6 in an apartment building on the 2500 block of Hillegass Avenue. The second happened last week, also in an apartment building on the 2100 block of Haste Street.Police believe that the attacker may be the same in both cases.

The suspect in both cases is described as a black man in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately 6 feet tall, with medium shoulder-length dreadlocks.

If you have any information, police ask you to call either Berkeley police at 510-981-5900 or UCPD at 510-642-6760.

Recent Assaults on Southside Lead Police to Issue Warning [Daily Cal]
2 women raped near UC Berkeley within the past month [SF Gate]

In response to a bloody weekend in the Bay, Jesse Jackson will fly in to attend an anti-violence rally on Sunday. Apparently, Jesse’s coming under the assumption that the region has become a war zone. Ouch.

You know your metro area has been experiencing some problems when J-Jack comes a-knockin’. After all, the dude’s negotiated hostage releases in war-torn nations around the globe.

Though we fear what his arrival indicates, Jesse’s presence makes the Clog feel somewhat safer (can Bearwalk possibly hire him?). Not that we have that much to fear in our immediate vicinity. Berkeley was spared by the crime wave, while San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and North Richmond (a bizarre unincorporated mysteryville) bore the brunt. It remains to be seen whether Oakland can rebound from a violent 2006, which the Chron delicately referred to as “Oakland: A Plague of Killing.”

We at the Clog are still waiting for the Chron to do a “Berkeley: A Plague of Burnt-out Hippies” spread. We’d even settle for a “Berkeley: A Plague of Horrible College Basketball” feature.

But we apologize for kidding around. This is obviously a profoundly heartbreaking issue. Kudos to the San Francisco Chronicle. The paper did a brilliant job covering the oft-ignored impact of Oakland’s murder troubles. And they did it with an innovative multimedia project.

Actually, the word “covering” doesn’t do justice to what this is. Skipping around the slideshows, maps and audio clips can make even the most oblivious of Berkeley students feel the force of a stranger’s death.

Well, actually there’s no way for most of us to fathom the pain of a loved one killed. But at least this project clues you into how unfathomable that pain is. No matter who you are, you’re one mother’s podcast away from caring more than you ever knew you could.

Here’s to hoping Oaktown and the rest of the Bay can pull it together and have a safer summer.

Bloody Bay Area Weekend Leaves 10 Dead [KTVU]
Rev. Jesse Jackson To Join SF Anti-Violence Rally Sunday [KTVU]
Oakland: Plague of Killing [SF Chronicle]

A man was struck by a vehicle while crossing Telegraph Avenue this afternoon. At the time of the Daily Cal report, the man was in critical condition and still unconscious in the trauma center of Highland General Hospital in Oakland.

The man was crossing the street at the intersection of Blake Street and Telegraph Avenue. He was hit by a white Honda Accord, Berkeley police Lt. Wesley Hester said. Police received a call at 12:14 p.m.

OK, so let’s just recap:
* An elderly woman died after being hit while crossing Solano Avenue about three weeks ago
* An entire family died in a “murder-suicide” about a week ago
* A Bay Area activist/former UC Berkeley English professor died after being hit by a train about a week ago
* A body was found off Berkeley pier a day ago

And now this. What the hell is going on?

Image Source: Skyler Reid, The Daily Californian
Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle on Telegraph [Daily Cal]

Last night, police found the bodies of a man and a woman lying on the ground outside a white car off of Wildcat Canyon Road in Tilden Park. Police also found the bodies of two children inside the car.

The Chron reports that investigators believe that the shooting may have been a murder-suicide.

bq. A Berkeley man is believed to have shot his two children and wife in the head before turning the gun on himself near Inspiration Point, said East Bay Regional Park Police Chief Timothy Anderson.

Police recovered a gun and a note at the site where the bodies were discovered.

While it looks like police already have an angle that they’re investigating, if you have any information, the police ask that you to call investigators at (510) 881-1833.

UPDATE: Berkeley family may be Tilden Park victims [Inside Bay Area]
4 found dead in Tilden Park [SF Gate]