University officials have vowed to allow speakers, including conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, to come even under the threat of violence, which has occurred at Berkeley and other universities earlier this year. "We don’t want the moral, psychological and fiscal expense of having these agents of hate coming to our town,” said Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett. — Councilwoman Cheryl DavilaThe standoff comes as UC Berkeley has been grappling for the last year on how to handle controversial conservative speakers who draw fierce protests in the liberal enclave. On Tuesday, UC spokesman Dan Mogulof said the school expects to get a list of confirmed speakers this week and move forward. Some Berkeley officials said they were conflicted over two dueling realities: Berkeley proudly being a haven where free speech can prosper and the sapping of city resources when these paroxysms of violence break out.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 30, 2017 12:00 UTC