An off-campus student housing co-op at UC Berkeley is going viral after someone leaked the co-op’s set of guest house rules — which bans white people from the common areas to “avoid white violence and presence.”
The co-op, which has been titled “Person of Color Theme House,” has five stories and offers 30 rooms for up to 56 selected University of California, Berkeley students. It was set up by the Berkeley Student Cooperative to bring affordable “housing to low-income, first generation, immigrant and marginalized students of color” in the Bay Area.
In order to enter the building, a student must declare their race when signing in, and they must announce when they are bringing white guests into the building — which is looked down upon.
Now, the only reason things are this way is so that people of color can “avoid white violence and presence.” The leaked photo of the house guest rules says, “House members and rules should always be respected by all guests.
Make sure your guests understand our house values and uphold the theme of the house, as you are responsible for their behavior. Many POC members moved her to be able to avoid white violence and presence, so respect their decision of avoidance if you bring white guests.” The housing also protects those in the LGBTQIA community.
