Parents of students who attend UC Berkeley are reportedly hiring private security to protect their kids from crime while they study at the far-left university just north of crime-ridden Oakland.
Parents hired six private security guards, known as “safety ambassadors,” to patrol UC Berkeley’s campus from 6:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., according to the group Safe Bears’ website.
“Enough is enough,” the group said on its site. “It’s time to make Cal safe for students.”
Students walk on the University of California, Berkeley campus in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
The Safe Bears group further describes itself as follows:
We are 1,300+ Cal parents and community allies working to improve safety for UC Berkeley students through strategic planning, advocacy, and outreach to campus administration, student organizations, local law enforcement, city government, and safety experts at universities across the country. SafeBears is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Sagar Jethani, a parent of twin boys who attend UC Berkeley, told CBS News that concerned parents took matters into their own hands after the university ignored their repeated requests to beef up security amid a crime wave in the area.
“The fact is if they’re not going to act, despite repeated pleas from parents and students to take more substantial action, then we’re going to act,” Jethani said. “We’re going to do what needs to be done to keep our family safe.”
The security established by Safe Bears started on March 6 and plans to continue through March 23, the website said, adding that parents raised more than $40,000 to fund it.
Jethani said the parents hope UC Berkeley will continue implementing similar security measures after that.
“We want to, frankly, turn up the heat with the administration,” Jethani told CBS News. “We want to show that we’re not content to just wait forever to have these safety ambassadors deployed.”
Notably, there has been a 20 percent increase in local robberies, trespassers gaining access to residence halls, threats, and violence, the Safe Bears website states.
“I was parking in my driveway and, as I was unlocking the door, two people approached me from behind,” one student told CBS News. “One came to the driver’s seat. One came to the passenger seat. They pointed a gun at me and told me to get out of the car.”
The student added that she lost her personal belongings and her car.
UC Berkeley told the outlet that the school is adding more surveillance cameras and new community service officers who will be trained by campus police. The university also said it might hire more police officers in the future.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
