The Last Stand: UC Berkeley Oak Grove Tree-Sit
Last night I called my friend Asa Dodsworth, one of the main organizers of the UC Berkeley Tree-sit, that’s responsible for protecting the grove of Oak trees from being destroyed — unnecessarily and greedily — to build a sports stadium for the school. A stadium that could easily be built somewhere else; somewhere that isn’t over an active fault line. Somewhere where the grove can be protected and the football players can still have a new stadium.
Things are really starting to heat up over there. The sitters have been up there for 565 days and counting! This is the longest urban tree-sit in history, without a doubt.
Just yesterday, UC Police began cutting down the sitter’s safety lines and traverse lines, as well as their gear that ensures their safety up in the trees. Police (”deputized” tree extractors) used extremely excessive force to the sitter “Millipede” yesterday, as they repeatedly rammed into her with a metal lift. Asa said “that she was punched in the face as well.”
Less than an hour ago I received this action alert email:
“Tree-Sitters request supporters come to grove! UC Police are stepping up their assault on Oak Grove Tree-Sit. More cops and a massive 8 story crane have just arrived at the grove.
Meanwhile the decision in the court case is due anytime in the next few hours.
Come to the grove, today is the day!”
So please, if you’re in the Berkeley area and / or have friends in that area, go support the sitters who need all the help that they can receive — now more than ever. Right now, as I write this, police are loading up cranes and terrorizing non-violent sitters who are only trying to protect these ancient trees that have been here long before any of us.
6 Comments
Gina
June 19th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
wow! alarming and really sad. i am there in spirit sitting with them.
David Askaripour
June 19th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Thanks Gina. I’m sure that your positive energy of support will be felt throughout the events taking place at Berkeley.
Lawrence
June 20th, 2008 at 1:06 am
…this is not right, something needs to be done - and heard.
Frantic Mom
June 27th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Thank you for your kind, loving and gentle support of the tree sitters. They are such wonderful, courageous people, too responsible to allow this to happen. I believe they are relying heavily on spiritual concepts, specifically love, to stay strong which blows me away. I vacillate between inspiration and despair. How will people ever know how important this is? Thinking about their selflessness makes me knock of the whining, however. So does finding your website. Thanks.
David Askaripour
June 27th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Thank you, Frantic! I’m currently in Arcata helping the movement out here. Yes, we need to spread this information and allow people to become aware of what’s really going on. Thanks for being on the side of love and Nature. Peace !
Berkeley Dropout
August 11th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Wow, I remember this. “Millipede” was wrestled into the crane after she bit an arborist. (And I’d love to hear how a NON-deputized arborist is a policeman.)
Also, you neglected to mention the buckets of feces/urine being thrown at the arborists. That’s some real unbiased reporting.
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