Campus Alert Archive
UC Berkeley

Bloody Thursday: Police Shoot into Berkeley Crowd Over People's Park, One Killed, One Blinded

CAcivil unrestemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On May 15, 1969, known as 'Bloody Thursday,' Alameda County sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers fired shotguns into a crowd of thousands of UC Berkeley students and community members who had rallied in Sproul Plaza to protest UC's fencing of People's Park, a vacant lot students had converted into a community garden. James Rector, 25, was killed by buckshot, and Alan Blanchard was permanently blinded. At least 128 Berkeley residents were admitted to hospitals for head trauma and shotgun wounds.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
128
Institution
University of California, Berkeley
Public R1 · CA
~27,500 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Approximate reconstruction229 chars
Attention all students: Police are deploying in force on Telegraph Avenue and near Sproul Plaza. A state of emergency has been declared in the area. All students should clear the campus immediately and return to their residences.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

At 4:45 AM on May 15, hundreds of California Highway Patrol, Berkeley, and San Francisco police officers arrived to fence off People's Park; the initial police action came hours before the noon rally
About 3,000 people gathered in Sproul Plaza for the noon rally; when they marched toward the park on Telegraph Avenue, police opened fire with buckshot and birdshot rather than rubber bullets
The use of live buckshot rather than standard crowd-control munitions was the critical factor in the death of James Rector, who was watching from a rooftop on Telegraph Avenue and was not a protester
UPDATEradio
Approximate reconstruction248 chars
Governor Reagan has declared a state of emergency for the City of Berkeley. The National Guard has been deployed. A curfew is in effect for the Telegraph Avenue area. All persons should remain indoors. The university is closed until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Governor Ronald Reagan dispatched 2,200 National Guard troops to Berkeley on the evening of May 15; soldiers with fixed bayonets patrolled Telegraph Avenue
James Rector died on May 19 from his buckshot wounds; Alan Blanchard, permanently blinded by birdshot, later received a settlement from Alameda County
Reagan's handling of the crisis, including his dismissive characterization of protesters, became a defining moment in his political persona and in the radicalization of California student politics
UPDATEPA System
Approximate reconstruction197 chars
Warning: National Guard helicopters are releasing tear gas over the campus and surrounding area. All persons should immediately seek shelter indoors. Close all windows and doors. Do not go outside.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

On May 20, National Guard UH-1 helicopters flew over the UC Berkeley campus and released CS tear gas, affecting not only protesters but also students in classes, hospital patients at Herrick Memorial Hospital, and children in a nearby nursery school
The helicopter tear gas attack was ordered by Governor Reagan over the objection of Berkeley's mayor and was widely condemned as disproportionate
The gas dispersal from helicopters was unprecedented in the United States and drew national condemnation even from those unsympathetic to the protesters
Context

Background

The People's Park confrontation arose from a dispute over a vacant lot owned by UC Berkeley that community members and students had spent weeks converting into a park, planting gardens and building benches. UC Chancellor Roger Heyns announced plans to reclaim the lot on May 13, 1969. At 4:45 AM on May 15, police fenced off the park. A noon rally at Sproul Plaza drew 3,000 people who marched toward the park. When police confronted the marchers on Telegraph Avenue, Alameda County deputies fired into the crowd with buckshot and birdshot. James Rector, 25, who was watching from a rooftop, was struck by buckshot and died on May 19. Alan Blanchard was permanently blinded. Governor Reagan declared a state of emergency and sent 2,200 National Guard troops to Berkeley, where they patrolled with fixed bayonets for weeks. On May 20, Guard helicopters flew over the campus and dispersed tear gas, affecting not only protesters but hospital patients and schoolchildren in the vicinity. A memorial march on May 30 drew an estimated 30,000 people and passed peacefully after the Guard agreed to stand down for the march. The university retained control of the lot, which remained a site of periodic confrontation for decades. No centralized mass notification system existed at UC Berkeley in 1969; warnings reached students through campus sirens, police and National Guard bullhorns, radio broadcasts, and word of mouth.
Analysis

Key Findings

Police use of live buckshot rather than rubber bullets or birdshot on May 15, 1969, was the proximate cause of James Rector's death and Alan Blanchard's permanent blindness
No centralized campus alert system existed at UC Berkeley in 1969; warnings reached students through sirens, police bullhorns, radio, and word of mouth
The May 20 helicopter tear gas dispersal affected hospital patients and schoolchildren as well as protesters, drawing national condemnation
The National Guard occupation of Berkeley lasted for weeks and radicalized a generation of California students and voters
Outcome
Governor Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency and sent 2,200 National Guard troops to Berkeley. On May 20, National Guard helicopters dispensed airborne tear gas over the campus. A May 30 memorial march of 30,000 people passed without incident after the Guard agreed to allow it. The university retained control of the lot.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    1969 People's Park protest - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    From garden to fenced-in lot to shots fired in Berkeley: People's Park on May 15, 1969 - Berkeleyside
    berkeleyside.org
  3. News
    May 30, 1969: The final scene in the powerful first act of Berkeley's People's Park - Berkeleyside
    berkeleyside.org
  4. Source
    Unforgettable Change: 1960s - People's Park Fights UC Land Use Policy - Picture This Oakland
    picturethis.museumca.org
  5. Student Paper
    Remembering Bloody Thursday: 1969 People's Park Riot - The Daily Californian
    dailycal.org
Tags
civil-unrestshootingprotestnational-guardvietnam-erastate-violencepre-cleryno-alert-system1969historicalcaliforniapeoples-parktear-gas
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion