September 29, 2008
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September 11, 2008
Tree Sitters are down
100 feet in the sky, UC-Berkeley's standoff with tree-sitters comes to a peaceful end
After almost two years perched in the sky, Berkeley's tree-sitters came back to Earth Tuesday. The expensive and dangerous campaign was orchestrated to block construction of a $124 million athletic facility which required cutting down the centuries old redwoods. Battling the tree-sitters cost the university about $1.5 million.
For months, Piedmont Avenue, which runs in front of the trees, became home to an encampment of lawn chairs, tents, hammocks, mattresses and patchouli oil.
In December 2006, the protestors wrapped themselves in the First Amendment and planted themselves in opposition to the university's plans. Additionally, three groups — the city of Berkeley, California Oak Foundation and the Panoramic Hill Association — sued the university to prevent the construction of the athletic facility.
In their small urban California forest, the activists bathed in buckets, hauled up food and supplies by rope and slept under a tarp on small platforms. They braved howling winds, wet winters and hot summer sun. Television crews from around the nation filmed them. Native American musicians serenaded them.
Three weeks ago, a judge ruled in favor of the university.
An ultimatum from UC-Berkeley on Friday morning gave the tree-sitters 72 hours to vacate. When the deadline expired, university officials cut off delivery of food and water. By Monday, the grove the tree-sitters had been trying to save was logged and mulched. They sought refuge in the remaining tree, a lone redwood. UC built scaffolding around the redwood, then trimmed branch by branch. So the sitters climbed higher. By Tuesday, there was nowhere higher to climb. They demanded that $6 million be donated to environmental and Native American groups. UC rejected that demand. So protesters announced they would have to be forcibly removed. Surrendering to UC-Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison from his plastic crate atop the beam, the tree-sitter who called himself Huckleberry threw his fist in the air and waved an Earth flag. Exuberantly, the crowd waved back. "We'll fight other development — Strawberry Canyon, People's Park,'' vowed supporter Arthur Fonseca. But within hours, the crowd had dispersed. All that was left were logs, construction equipment, and one lonely redwood. And then it was cut down.
September 10, 2008
Vinayaka Chaviti 2008
