A homeless encampment on 8th and Harrison streets in Berkeley, California, has been ordered cleared by officials after a deadly leptospirosis outbreak linked to rats. In 2025, the disease killed one person and hospitalized another among at least two infected humans. The camp, housing nearly two dozen people, was declared hazardous and a public nuisance. Activists previously sued the city to prevent clearing the area but lost in court recently; Judge Edward Chen approved closure of the site and mandated development of alternative shelter proposals for displaced residents.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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A homeless encampment riddled with disease after vagrants bred rats inside it has finally begun to be cleared.
Nearly two dozen homeless people living among makeshift shelters and garbage on 8th and Harrison streets in Berkeley, California, were ordered to vacate the block on Tuesday.
The area was declared a fire hazard and public nuisance following a deadly leptospirosis outbreak in 2025 linked to rats.
asserted
area → see → rats
Activists sued the city for trying to dismantle the camp.
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Activists → sue → camp
Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through the urine of infected animals.
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that → spread → animals
The infection spread to at least two humans last summer, killing one and hospitalizing another.
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infection → spread → another
The outbreak marked the first known cases of leptospirosis in the city in over a decade, according to KTVU.
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outbreak → mark → KTVU
We Heart Seattle, a homeless outreach organization, reported that more than 200 rats were housed in an RV, where they were cared for and bred.
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they → report → RV
The city previously tried to clear the encampment, but the Berkeley Homeless Union filed a lawsuit last year, preventing officials from proceeding.
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Union → try → officials
A homeless encampment of nearly two dozen people on 8th and Harrison streets in Berkeley, California, were ordered to vacate the block on Tuesday
The area was declared a fire hazard and public nuisance following a deadly leptospirosis outbreak in 2025 linked to rats
However, last week, Judge Edward Chen rejected the homeless advocates' request for a long-term postponement, according to Berkeleyside.
uncertain
Chen → order → Berkeleyside
Chen approved the camp's closure and said the city could clear the area 'in short order.'
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city → approve → order
The judge's order also stated that homeless advocates must develop a proposal for alternative encampment locations for the 23 displaced residents, which will then be either approved or rejected by the city.
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which → state → city
However, the ruling also states that officials will have to provide special accommodations to residents with disabilities who were living at the site.
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who → state → site
Berkeley Homeless Union president Yesica Prado told KTVU that she submitted accommodation requests for 19 additional people, but only seven had been approved.
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seven → tell → people
Prado told the outlet that the city is not following the court order.
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city → tell → order
Aside from the Berkeley Homeless Union, the city was also sued by local businesses that accused Berkeley of allowing public nuisances to go unchecked.
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nuisances → sue → Berkeley
There are rats running over people, screaming in the night,' Assistant City Attorney Katrina Eiland said during a hearing in federal court in San Francisco last week.
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Eiland → be → Francisco
The city previously tried to clear the encampment, but the Berkeley Homeless Union filed a lawsuit last year (Berkeley Homeless Union president Yesica Pardo pictured)
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Pardo → try → lawsuit
As part of the order the city is required to find accommodations for residents with disabilities.
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city → require → disabilities
Pardo said she submitted for 19 people with disabilities but the city only honored seven
Individuals living in their vehicles were allowed to stay, but those refusing to leave could be arrested or issued a citation.
A resident affected by the sweep told KTVU that he was not sure what his next step would be.
'I really don't know where I'm going to go to next, unfortunately.
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I → say → KTVU
I'm kind of in limbo,' Elester Shelton said.
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Shelton → say → limbo
Malia Goulart, who has lived at the encampment for three weeks, also spoke to the outlet, saying that the city's clearance was unfair.
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clearance → live → outlet
'If the city really cared, they would honestly provide these people with assistance and not just bully them out.
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they → care → them
This is horrific for the city to do,' Goulart said.
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Goulart → do → ?
'I've come to know some of these people and these people don't deserve it.
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people → come → it
What the city doesn't realize is it could happen to them just as easy.
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it → realize → them
They're treating us like we're criminals and we're not.
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we → treat → us
We've just had unfortunate events occur.
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events → have → ?
One leads to another and leads to another and leads to this.'
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One → lead → this
Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii's office shared a statement regarding the sweep with KTVU: 'Clearing an encampment is not, by itself, a solution.
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Clearing → share → itself
It doesn't end anyone's homelessness.
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It → end → homelessness
It just changes where the immediate problem of homelessness is visible.
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problem → change → homelessness
Our real goal, and the only thing that actually solves this, is getting people into long-term, stable housing.
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that → solve → housing
I remain committed to that work.'
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I → remain → work
The Daily Mail has reached out to the City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Homeless Union for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
