A UC Berkeley student has posted a TikTok video alleging that university officials attempted to involuntarily commit her to a psychiatric facility hours after she filed a grievance about her housing situation. The student, who identifies herself as Jamelyn Ford in the video, claims the incident was retaliation for her previous reports of being raped by a university employee.
Ford states in the video that she was previously expelled from UC Berkeley for reporting the alleged rape. She says the university later found the employee guilty and removed him, and she was readmitted for the Fall 2026 semester. She alleges the university told her that because of her autism and “cognitive deficits,” her account of the events could not be trusted.
The video shows Ford speaking from what appears to be a dorm room. On-screen text reads, “I need ears, please watch 🙏.” She asks viewers to tag Governor Gavin Newsom if they scroll past. The video’s caption tags “@Governor Gavin Newsom.”
Student details ongoing disputes with the university over costs and housing
Ford alleges in the video that after her readmission, the university withheld her transcripts when she tried to transfer and is charging her over $100,000 for her final four classes. She claims the charges increase whenever she requests an accommodation. She states she had a dorm room but it was taken away without explanation, leaving her in unstable emergency housing. She says she filed a grievance about this housing situation. This pattern of institutional pushback against accommodation requests has been seen elsewhere, such as when a Starbucks employee refused to serve a crying autistic child.
In the video, Ford states she sent herself an email at 3:49 a.m. on September 11, 2026, to document her worries about retaliation for filing the grievance. The video displays a screenshot of this email. She claims that later that morning, a large group arrived at her dorm.
Ford alleges that at around 10:00 a.m. on September 11, four UC Berkeley campus police officers, resident directors, resident assistants, and mental health crisis response team members forced their way into her dorm. She claims they attempted to take her to an inpatient psychiatric facility against her will, stating they falsely accused her of calling 911 for a suicide attempt. She says she showed them her call logs to disprove this claim.
She alleges the team did not inform her of her rights, took her blood sugar and blood pressure without consent, and searched her belongings. Ford states they found she had taken two melatonin pills, which she says they classified as a suicide attempt. She claims an officer told her that finding controlled substances—she has a prescription for ADHD medication—would be grounds for institutionalization, and that her refusal to consent to a search was also cited as a reason.
The video includes an audio recording of an exchange between Ford and an officer. Ford is heard asking, “And you’re saying if I don’t sign this, I will be transported?” A male voice responds, “No, you won’t be transported.” The on-screen text identifies the case as “University of California Police Department, case number 26-02231 of September 11th, 2026.”
Ford claims in the video that an officer presented her with an iPad to sign a document. She says she asked what she was signing and, after he exited a pop-up, read that it stated she had been read her medical rights. She refused to sign, stating she had not been read her rights. She claims the officer then told her signing was necessary to avoid being taken to a psychiatric facility.
Student pleads for help and outlines legal plans
Returning to the camera, Ford says she is exhausted but fears the mental health unit will return. She states she contacted 36 disability rights lawyers, all of whom turned her down. According to the video’s creator, she mentions she is an undergrad planning to go to law school and has sued 14 corporations for neurotype-based discrimination, representing herself. She says she had an LSAT exam scheduled for 2:00 p.m. that day but could not take it because she feared missing the mental health unit’s check-in call, which she says would be grounds for institutionalization.
The video concludes with Ford pleading directly to Governor Gavin Newsom. She says, “Please help me. Please help me. I’m not safe, and I am being retaliated against to an extreme degree for engaging in protected activities, including but not limited to protesting.” She ends by saying she wants to document this before they return.
The video drew a range of comments. One viewer wrote, “This is truly sick and grossly mishandled by Berkley I really really hope you get some traction on your videos.” Another commented, “2 melatonin was attempted s?!?!? I take 6 a night are they GOOD???? This is absolutely disgusting I am so sorry.” A third offered support, stating, “They fear u. They fear u getting a law degree, they fear ur success, they fear that u will change things. N u r changing things. Keep going- u r doing amazingly. ✨💖🖤✨” Another viewer wrote, “LAW SCHOOL YES LET’S GOOOOOO.”
UC Berkeley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
