The Mayor of Berkeley streets
According to the October 3rd, 2019 BerkeleySide article title Michael Diehl, longtime Berkeley activist, struck and killed by car he was a well-known activist for housing, freedom of speech plus and provided advocacy at Berkeley’s Mental Health Commission and other groups primarily located in the East Bay
Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterEmail this to someonePrint this page
By Frances Dinkelspiel
Oct. 2, 2019, 2:07 p.m.
Michael Diehl, center, holding a sign that reads “Being poor is not a crime,” stands next to then-Councilman Jesse Arreguín and homeless activist Mike Lee during a June 2016 demonstration. Photo: Ted Friedman
Michael Diehl, whose work with the homeless and poor on Berkeley’s streets earned him the nickname “the Mayor of Berkeley streets,” was killed Sunday when a driver struck him around 8:30 p.m. in Newark, according to authorities.
Diehl was not in a crosswalk when he traversed busy Newark Boulevard just north of Cedar Boulevard, according to Newark Police Capt. Jonathan Arguello. The 36-year-old Pinole driver who struck Diehl is cooperating in the investigation.
“There’s no indication of any wrongdoing,” said Arguello.
Diehl, 64, was one of Berkeley’s most visible activists, having worked on a range of issues the last 40 years including keeping the punk rock club 924 Gilman Street Project open, protesting the placement of volleyball courts and housing in People’s Park, and advocating for better treatment of the poor, the homeless and those with mental illnesses.
