UC Berkeley Mom Documents Tents and Trash Near Her Son’s Dorms [VIDEO]

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

UC Berkeley Mom Documents Tents and Trash Near Her Son’s Dorms

Dropping a child off at college is supposed to be a proud milestone. For one California mother, the moment came with an unpleasant surprise.

Lyanne Melendez, a TV reporter and mother, said she encountered a large homeless encampment near her son’s housing at UC Berkeley. The area featured rows of tents, piles of garbage, and debris scattered around the sidewalks.

Melendez documented the scene on video and posted it to X. She wrote:

“I just dropped my son off at @UCBerkeley housing and as we were approaching we saw this behind his apartments. Shame on @CityofBerkeley @CityofAlbanyCA @UCBerkeleyNews,”

The encampment was located along the 1150 block of Harrison Street. That area is near student housing and businesses used by students. It is also less than three miles from UC Berkeley’s main campus.

The California Post visited the location Wednesday and reported seeing numerous tents and makeshift shelters packed closely together near a Tesla service facility. Personal belongings, tarps, and other debris surrounded the structures.

In some spots, pedestrians appeared to have limited room to walk. The conditions raised obvious questions for families sending their children to school in the area.

For out-of-state students, UC Berkeley tuition can reach around $50,000 per year with room and board, according to the source report. Families paying that kind of money may not expect to see a sprawling encampment and garbage so close to student residences.

Berkeley has faced mounting pressure over its handling of homeless encampments. The city is also involved in a long-running legal battle concerning the camp at Harrison Street and Eighth Street.

Melendez’s video puts the issue directly in front of parents arriving on campus. Higher education already faces growing questions about cost and value. Enrollment has declined at many schools as students and families weigh whether the return is worth the price.

Scenes like this can make that decision even harder. When colleges and cities fail to keep areas around student housing clean and usable, families notice immediately.

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