Berkeley, CA: Local ABC news on UC Berkeley BP funded research site protest

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Protesters who are angry with BP about the gulf oil spill demonstrated at UC Berkeley Friday night against a joint project between the university and BP to build a new $500 million research site...Friday's protest was just one of many going on around the country. It's two purposes included reminding people that even though the leak in the gulf has been capped, the damage from the spill will linger for many years, and these protesters want UC Berkeley to rethink its research partnership with oil giant BP.


The demonstration marked the 100th day of the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Black markings on stuffed animals were used to symbolize all the damage done to the environment and wildlife over the past three months.

The backdrop was the site where the new Helios Energy Research facility is under construction. It is a building that will house the Energy Biosciences Institute at UC Berkeley -- a project funded with $500 million from BP.

"We ask the public, given what BP's done to the Gulf of Mexico, why should it be trusted with science at the University of California?" protest organizer Stephanie Tang said...The UC/BP partnership has been hotly debated since its inception three years ago when some faculty worried corporate goals would be put ahead of academic freedom..."I don't care whether they're trying to do good or not. We need to get away from corporations because any good that they're trying to do is just for their bottom line," protester Mary Ann Thomas said...

More local news website coverage of this protest:


http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15643831?nclick_check=1
http://www.dailycal.org/article/109913/demonstration_marks_100_days_since_oil_spill
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7585188
http://cbs5.com/local/berkeley.bp.protest.2.1835355.html
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/07/30/2024655/activists-protest-bp-gulf-oil.html (AP report)