BERKELEY: Protesting UC policies, students take to tree

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/24/7 | Rick DelVecchio

[SmithL]

Coalition seeks to call attention to school's involvement with 'unethical' entities

- A UC Berkeley student protest group called the Phoenix Coalition to Free the UC is occupying a redwood tree in the center of campus to challenge the university on its involvement with the military and what the group calls "unethical corporations and regimes."

UC Berkeley's pending biofuels research deal with oil industry giant BP sparked members of various activist groups on campus to work together, said Matthew Taylor, a spokesman for the coalition.

"Every generation goes through a loss of innocence, recognizing this huge gap between the ideal and the reality," he said. "BP just pushed it over the edge.

"BP was the straw that broke the camel's back and then there was a lot of stuff on the back to begin with, such as nuclear weapons, military recruiters on campus and inadequate wages paid to custodians.

"We seek to democratize the university."

[SmithL]

- Jason Ahmadi, high in the redwood tree surrounded by banners, peers up at fellow tree sitter Michael Schuck.

[SmithL]

These are different trees than the ones that UC is planning to remove to make room for the Athletic Center.

[Red Badger]

A future Bill Clintoon at work here...........

[Red Badger]

.....high in the redwood tree...

I bet, in more ways than you intended.......

[edcoil]

“involvement with the military and what the group calls “unethical corporations and regimes.”

Just a guess but I am guessing it is those entities that are paying for these folks to go to college on a free ride.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

peers up at fellow tree sitter Michael Schuck.

Looks like they put in a "c" and dropped the "m".

[P-40]

"We want to raise awareness on campus to spark some consensus to be more active," Schuck said.

Say what?

[E Rocc]

Two smelly hippies, in a misguided attempt at "learning by osmosis", occupy a more intelligent life form.

[fatnotlazy]

Anybody got a chain saw?

[Right Cal Gal]

And you know somewhere, there are students studying hard at other Cal universities going “great, and you didn’t admit me but THESE IDIOTS got in??

[Kimmers]

Yup,these idiots got in and I am willing to bet some of them are majoring in womens studies...

[therut]

I wonder how much these fake birds damage their trees with all this fake nest making. They are laughable.

[Dilbert San Diego]

So, UC Berkeley is not politically correct because they are entering into a biofuels research project with the oil company BP? Even if you accept the thoughtless position that, by definition, an oil company is evil, wouldn’t it be a good thing is an evil oil company is doing research in alternative fuels? And maybe some of that wonderful Berkeley compassion and political correctness will rub off onto BP as a result?

I think this is an example of how attitudes harden about issues. In this case, BP is defined as evil, even though they want to be involved in alternative energy research. You can see how the BP executives would say “screw it” or words to that affect, if it appears that no matter what they do, they are caricatured as the evil oil company by these Berkeley people.

[Dreagon]

I would pay real money to see somebody take a go at that tree with a chainsaw.

[E Rocc]

I would pay real money to see somebody take a go at that tree with a chainsaw.

Why go after the tree? This isn't it's fault. If a dog has fleas, we don't shoot it.

I'd recommend an air spray with nice warm soapy water.

-Eric

[SmithL]

Cal students end tree sit-in, are arrested for trespass