POLICE DRUG RAIDS OF UA HOMES HARM TENANTS

The Police Review Commision, a Berkeley watchdog agency, heard complaints
from residents of UA Homes in West Berkeley, a public housing unit that
provides accomodations for drug addicts and physically and mentally
disabled homeless. The tenants accused police of using unneccessary force
in a number of recent narcotics raids. This controversy is indicative of a
larger problem in Berkeley public housing.

One of the purposes of the UA Homes facility is to help get drug addicts
off the street and to a place where social workers can help them
rehabilitate. It does not seem, however, that progress toward this end has
been made. Instead, because many addicts live in UA Housing, the dwellings
have become an easy target for police raids.

Surely the police have cause to investigate residents of UA Homes, many of
whom admit to using illegal drugs. Judging from resident testimony, though,
the way in which police conduct their investigations is highly suspect and
does not contribute to the rehabilitation of the tenants. The social
workers and other officials of UA Homes need to establish a clear line of
communication with Berkeley police in order to help addicts on the road to
sobriety without subjecting them to narcotics raids.

Perhaps Berkeley thought simply giving drug users a place to live would be
incentive enough, but the housing project must work harder at
rehabilitating resident addicts. City officials, especially Stephen Barton,
the city's new housing director, need to make rehabilitation of residents
of UA Homes a higher priority.