SoCal crews to finish clearing grove of old trees {Tree-sitters arrested}

AP via SFGate ^ | 1/13/11 | JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press

[SmithL]

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -- Public works crews will finish clearing a grove of old oak and sequoia trees slated for removal as part of a dam project following the arrests of four tree sitters who hoped to stop the project.

Two men, including veteran tree sitter John Quigley, and two women were escorted out of the trees Wednesday night and taken into custody,

[SmithL]

The fruits & nuts have been harvested from the trees, so construction can go on.

[ETL]

From June 2008...

"At least one tree sitter on Tuesday began throwing bags of human waste on the approaching arborists."
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/news/print.asp?id=25637

________________________________________________________________

BERKELEY, Calif. (KCBS) -- One woman was arrested Tuesday as authorities removed some of the structures that have housed tree sitting protesters in an oak grove UC Berkeley wants to cut down to make way for a $125 million athletic facility.

The protester was taken into custody after she reportedly bit one of the workers removing her supplies, according to police. Officers cordoned off part of Piedmont Avenue near Memorial Grove and brought in arborists to remove the platforms and gear the tree sitters have used to maintain their perches since December 2006. A university official had earlier said the tree sitters themselves would not be removed yet.

“One of the things we’re most concerned about is safety and security, of our police officers and the people in the trees. That’s the reason we’re not forcibly removing people from the trees today,” said Dan Mogulof, a spokesman for UC Berkeley.

Tuesday was not the first time the university has removed scaffolding built by the protesters, but removing the people has proven more difficult. One witness told KCBS reporter Tim Ryan at the scene that some of the tree sitters threw urine they had collected in buckets at the police and arborists to discourage them from climbing.
http://www.kcbs.com/In-Berkeley--Down-from-the-Trees/2427277

[ETL]

Sorry, seems that 2nd excerpted article is no longer available.

Here’s the same 2008 story from American Thinker. There is apparently some funny video there of the loonies hanging out in the trees resisting the authorities...

American Thinker:

“The smelly tree-worshipping protestors thwarting development of athletic facilities at the University of California have been skillfully plucked from their treetop aerie.

Zombietime and Protest Shooter have terrific photo-illustrated accounts of the expulsion of the Berkeley tree sitters from their perch, intended to prevent construction of a new athletic training facility adjacent to the football stadium. ...”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/09/down_from_the_trees_1.html

[wbill]

One of the things that I dislike about any construction (particularly home development) that's done around where I live, is that the entire lot is bulldozed. Trees taken down, everything flattened.

Trees (within reason) add value to a parcel of land, as far as I'm concerned.

But, if the owner of the land wants to take 'em down..... let 'em fall. These tree sitters were out of bounds with their trespassing.

[Fedupwithit]

Two men, including veteran tree sitter John Quigley,

This line speaks VOLUMES about the current state of the human race, and it's growing detatchment from reality...

[BigBobber]

In case anyone is confused by the headline, these are landscape trees, not native to the area.

[sniper63]

One word for the tree sitters........TIMMMMMMMMMMBERRRRRRRR

[AppyPappy]

The Democrats completely control the state now. The tree huggers lost their ability to embarrass a Republican and therefore their usefulness. Too bad.

[NormsRevenge]

I would gladly take some of the oak off their hands if I was close by and burn it up North

[SmithL]

I would gladly take some of the oak off their hands if I was close by and burn it up North

I guess you didn't hear that it's another "Spare-the-Air" day.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Hey, it accomplishes many leftist tenets...reduces population, fertilizes the forest...treehuggers should "branch" out.