Protesters halt construction on controversial UC Berkeley housing project after tense police standoff

A group of protesters broke through an eight-foot chain fence erected Wednesday around Berkeley's historic People's Park and faced off with police officers standing guard as a construction crew began work on a controversial student housing project. The work was halted for safety reasons.

The park was cleared overnight Tuesday and the fencing was put up the following day after an Alameda County Superior Court judge on Friday ruled that the University of California, Berkeley — the site's owner — could move forward with its housing plan despite local groups suing to stop it.

By the early afternoon, parts of the fence had been cut down by protesters, prompting small celebrations of vindication inside the park. Some of the protesters remained on site after the university said it decided to stop construction for the day "due to the destruction of construction materials, unlawful protest activity, and violence on the part of some protesters." Some of the protesters climbed onto the bulldozers that remained near a basketball court in the park.