"Resplendent.... A masterwork of history."--Ron Jacobs, Counterpunch In eyewitness testimonies and hundreds of remarkable photographs, The Battle for People's Park, Berkeley 1969 commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most searing conflicts that closed out the tumultuous 1960s: the Battle for People's Park. In April 1969, a few Berkeley activists planted the first tree on a University of California-owned, abandoned city block on Telegraph Avenue. Hundreds of people from all over the city helped build the park as an expression of a politics of joy. The University was appalled, and warned that unauthorized use of the land would not be tolerated; and on May 15, which would soon be known as Bloody Thursday, a violent struggle erupted, involving thousands of people. Hundreds were arrested, martial law was declared, and the National Guard was ordered by then-Governor Ronald Reagan to crush the uprising and to occupy the entire city. The police fired shotguns against unarmed students. A military helicopter gassed the campus indiscriminately, causing schoolchildren miles away to vomit. One man died from his wounds. Another was blinded. The vicious overreaction by Reagan helped catapult him into national prominence. Fifty years on, the question still lingers: Who owns the Park?

It's the Silver Jubilee of People Park, an urban experiment conceived by a radical mayor and zealously policed by the testosterone-powered New Fraternal League of Men. To celebrate, the insular island city has engaged the illustrator Raven, who promises to deliver the most astonishing spectacle its residents have ever seen. As the entire island comes together for the event, we meet an unforgettable cross-section of its inhabitants, from activists to nihilists, art stars to athletes, families to inveterate loners. Soon, however, what has promised to be a triumph of civic harmony begins to reveal its shadow side. And when Raven's illustration exceeds even the most extreme of expectations, the island is plunged into a series of unnatural disasters that force people to confront what they are really made of. People Park is a tour de force of eerily prescient, grotesque, and hilarious observation and a narrative of gripping, unrelenting suspense. Malla writes as if the twin demons of Stephen King and Flannery O'Connor were resting on his shoulders. You've never read anything quite like People Park.

Delineate the politicians, business people, artists, immigrant laborers, and city dwellers who are the key players in the tale. In tracing the park's history, the writers also give us the history of New York. They explain how squabbles over politics, taxes, and real estate development shaped the park and describe the acrimonious debates over what a public park should look like, what facilities it should offer, and how it should accommodate the often incompatible.

The story of London’s favourite Royal Park and neighbouring Kensington Gardens, beautifully illustrated with paintings, prints, postcards and modern photographs.

Community Refuge Inspiration Make Your Path on The Trail A place of restoration. A center of well-being. A trail of freedom. A path to enhancement. You have stepped into the hallowed grounds of Houston's beloved Memorial Park. A place where anyone belongs . . . all that's required is a spirit of camaraderie and desire to improve oneself and the world around. Finding a trail so vital and so integrated with a community is a rarity, and that's just what Memorial Park is: a rarity, treasure, and pleasure for anyone who visits. Turn the pages and follow the many footsteps on the trail--those of the fast, slow, old, and young--and learn how one city's dedication to conserving its natural beauty and resources has changed countless lives, families, and organizations. Through others' perspectives, you will -find humor and appreciation for the diverse personalities who frequent the trail; -find the inspiration to overcome difficult situations; and -find the encouragement that anyone can be active. Follow the people of Memorial Park.

Peopleas Park in Berkeley was born when a diverse coalition of activists seized a vacant lot to build a park in 1969. The authorities reacted violently, leading to riots in which police shot into crowds, killing one bystander and wounding over 100 people. The battle over Peopleas Park became a symbol for the battles of the 1960s between the counter-culture and mainstream society. While the dramatic story of the Parkas violent creation in 1969 has been thoroughly told, no book until now has brought the story up to date. This book illustrates how the Park is still a living counter-cultural experiment and a model for do-it-yourself ecological and social direct action. The book features hundreds of historical images and photographs of the Parkas present uses: as a community garden and native plant repository; as a liberated zone for concerts and political rallies; and as one of the few places open to all peoplearich and poor, homeless and housedain an increasingly consumer-dominated Berkeley. The book uses interviews, news clipping, political tracts, and primary documents to show how generations of activists have fought to allow the users of the Park to control its development, operation, and maintenanceaembodying the principal of user development in the face of constant police repression.