Dear colleagues,

We were all horrified by the recent display of racial and religious hatred in Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, leading to violence and the deaths of three people. More demonstrations of this type have been proposed for other great public universities like Texas A&M, Michigan State University, and the University of Florida. Public universities have traditionally been particular targets for such activity, both because they represent opportunity for advancement in our society and because, as public institutions, they have a special responsibility for protecting free speech. People are coming to these protests armed for conflict, however, and not just speech.

With this in mind, I want all of you to be aware that the unpermitted rally planned for Berkeley on Sunday, Aug. 27, could easily become violent. Please follow local news for information on what is happening so that you can keep yourself and your family safe.

Staff and visitors should avoid discretionary work at the main Berkeley Lab site and other buildings around downtown Berkeley and the UC Berkeley campus this Sunday. If there is anything that needs to be communicated during or after the event, a Lab Alert will be sent. Please take this opportunity to sign up for Lab Alert, which you can do here.

If you need access to the main site on Aug. 27, you need your manager’s approval and must email [email protected] (with a cc to your supervisor) to report that you will be on-site that day. Please use Grizzly Gate as the other gates will be closed. Access will only be granted with a valid Lab-issued badge. You may want to plan to bring food with you to help avoid active areas.

Stay safe,

Mike