4216 South Mooney Boulevard
PMB 136
Visalia, California 93277

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LAW OFFICES OF MELO AND
SARSFIELD LLP

T (559) 732-3000
F (559) 732-3005
Email
meloandsarsfield@icloud.com
Web Address:
melo-sarsfieldlaw.com

September 19, 2017
Special Litigation Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Special Litigation Section
Washington, D.C. 20530
Re: University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
Dear Sir or Madam:
The Law Offices of Melo and Sarsfield, LLP, represents a student publication known as the
Berkeley Patriot. The Berkeley Patriot is composed of students enrolled at the UC Berkeley
campus. UC Berkeley is a governmental entity of the State of California.
The students of the Berkeley Patriot believe that they have been subjected to a pattern and
practice of suppression of their First Amendment rights, specifically Freedom of Speech,
Freedom of Association, and their Fourteen Amendment right to Equal Protection.
The students of the Berkeley Patriot believe that the UC Berkeley administration has adopted
a practice of de facto viewpoint discrimination. This viewpoint discrimination is effected by
the UC Berkeley administration failing to take reasonable steps to protect students and others
from physical assault or property damage when engaging in protected activities covered
under the First Amendment, failing to take appropriate disciplinary measures against
students, faculty members, and employees who either engage in those same acts against
students with different political viewpoints, or encourage, aid or abet those acts, and
imposing arbitrary and irrational bureaucratic hurdles on student groups which seek to
exercise their First Amendment rights by holding public debates on important political topics
or matters of public concern.

 The situation at UC Berkeley has become downright physically dangerous this past year for
conservative students who merely wish to exercise their God given rights to freedom of
speech and association that are enshrined in the Constitution.
On behalf of the Berkeley Patriot, we are requesting the US Department of Justice open an
investigation into whether UC Berkeley and its key administrators are systematically and
intentionally violating the civil rights of our clients, and other like-minded UC Berkeley
students.
Sincerely,
LAW OFFICES OF MELO AND SARSFIELD LLP
Marguerite Melo

(Authorized e-signature 9/19/2017)

_______________________________________
Marguerite Melo, Esq.

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