Power

The Punks vs. The Pigs

An illustrated history of a lesser-known battle in Berkeley’s People’s Park.

Janelle Blarg Sep 15, 2025

Illustration of a person with tattoos and a green mohawk sticking out their tongue at a policeman that is also a pig. Text says "The Punks vs. the Pigs by Janelle Blarg" — (Comic by Janelle Blarg for COYOTE Media Collective)

Illustration of a cartoon bear driving a bulldozer through dirt. In the dirt are flyers, photos, garbage, and a big peace sign.

Illustration of 5 people queuing up for soup. Text: Since 1969, People's Park has been synonymous with radical Berkeley history, from the "Bloody Thursday" riots that helped establish the park to free food movements like Food Not Bombs that continued to sustain it.

A person with a green mohawk and tattoos sticks their tongue out at a pig dressed in police uniform. Text box: "For every renowned tale of People's Park, thousands of other stories have gone untold. One of these seldom-told tales has kept me chucking for decades. It's time you knew about.." "The Punks vs. the Pigs volleyball game"

Three protestors hold signs saying "Our park" and "No blood for volleyball" in front of three cops. Text box: "In 1991, the university tore up part of the park to put in volleyball courts. This dismayed many, especially those who felt park residents needed a place to be, not volleyball. Days of protests and clashes with the police followed."

A brown-haired guy holding a clipboard stands in front of an older woman in police uniform. Text box: When the dust finally settled, the courts remained. But then another smaller, weirder protest emerged... The brainchild of New York transplant and cleancut punk Charelie A, Charlie donned his most convincing normie cosplay and went into the belly of the beast, the Berkeley police department.

Close-up of an older woman in police uniform. Speech bubble: "Oh! This will be wonderful for community relations." Text box: They ate it up. Game on.

Three people in a bathroom. One in the foreground applies hairspray to their green mohawk. Two in the background apply "Troubled Youth" to a shirt using a pen. Text box: When game day arrived, the punks spent so much time spiking their hair and changing into their campiest "afterschool special" punk gear...

Three people in punk gear stand across a volleyball net from two people in gym clothes. One person on the right says, "Sorry kids. It's pot roast night." Text box: ...that by the time they theatrically stormed the park, all of the cops had to go home for dinner.

A person dressed as a clown walking a slug on a leash, a woman with curly hair in a leather jacket wearing a trans flag pin, and a person in purple sitting on a wheelchair move along a sidewalk. Text box: More Situationist theater than a traditional protest. Less impactful than chaining yourself to a tree. And yet this is the Berkeley I fell in love with.

A boarded-up building with grass and flowers painted on the boards. Text in the corner: They painted a mural along Center Street to disguise the entire block being boarded-up. Text box: Over the past few years, Berkeley has been on a spree of demolishing historic buildings downtown (including every last movie theatre *sob!*) in favor of high-density housing. Many of these projects are already abandoned, leaving behind boarded-up businesses or a hole in the ground.

A ghost wearing a tiny hat frowns while carrying a suitcase featuring stickers that say "Cafe Ohlone," "Mario Savio," "Save the Bay," "Wavy Gravy," "Kala Bagai," "Marlon Riggs," "Mable Howard," "924 Gilman," and "Rolling Quads." Speech bubble: "'ight. Imma head out." Text box: How will the radical spirit of Berkeley show up in this new environment? Are we cooked or are we entering a new era?

Published in: Power, History, East Bay, Berkeley, Punks, Police, People's Park, Pot roast, Comics

Author

Janelle Blarg is a cartoonist, a writer, and an East Bay townie for life.

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