A tree-sitter swings a wire cutter at workers in a cherry-picker preparing to remove the protesters' gear at UC Berkeley. Photo by Jakub Mosur, special to the Chronicle
Posted on 06/18/2008 1:56:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BERKELEY -- Amid screams, the buzz of a news helicopter and the rattle of barricades by angry people in the street, UC Berkeley today dismantled more of the tree-top encampment of protesters in a grove of trees next to Memorial Stadium.
A crew of arborists and workers hired by the campus engaged in their second day of cutting ropes, removing supplies and tearing out improvised structures as tree-sitter sympathizers yelled at the workers from Piedmont Avenue and at stern-faced UC police who ringed the site.
By early afternoon, virtually all of the protesters' ropes were gone.
The year-and-a-half-old tree protest is being staged to stop UC's plan to cut 44 trees to make way for an athletic training center expected to cost at least $125 million. A judge is to rule today on three lawsuits seeking to halt the project.
UC police released the name of one protester who was arrested Tuesday after being plucked by two of the workers from a rope in the grove. Marisa Schneidman, 19, was arrested at 4:24 p.m. for investigation of assault, battery, resisting arrest, providing false information, trespassing and refusing to leave, police said.
She bit the arm of an arborist who was trying to attach duct tape to one of the ropes. The arborist and a co-worker wrestled her into a cherry-picker and handed her over to police, said UC spokesman Dan Mogulof.
L.A. Wood, a former city environmental commissioner, said the cherry-picker bumped up against the woman and the workers grabbed her.
"I would say she is typical of those in the grove - young, caring and, given what they've been through, courageous".
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
A tree-sitter swings a wire cutter at workers in a cherry-picker preparing to remove the protesters' gear at UC Berkeley. Photo by Jakub Mosur, special to the Chronicle
re: the pic above.
If ever there was a human pinata just aching for a good whack or two.. ;-)
From the SFGate Comments:
gr8googlymoogly
6/18/2008 12:38:17 PM
“It always amazes me the lengths that some attention-starved trust fund brats will go to just to impose their will on others. With all of the truly honorable moral battles out there (Iraq, gay marriage, right to choose, etc.), these irrelevant dolts waste their time and our money to protect a few trees that are neither valuable nor old-growth. Truly selfish. They deserve to be doused in their own excrement.”
scooby
6/18/2008 12:48:10 PM
“Her age of 19 is irrelevant as the IvoryTowerDungThrowers dwell in the land of emotional adolescence. Dumpstermuffin has got to be one of the more prophetic monikers to emerge from the land where Lucy in the Sky and Magic the Mushroom dwell. These damaged individuals would be bereft in a perfect world...”
Living in trees, biting people, and throwing feces and urine? Forget the jail. They need to lock these animals up in the local zoo.
Peaceniks angry? It can't be...
hoku
6/18/2008 12:52:20 PM
“Dear Tree-S*itters: When you have to resort to flinging poo and pee, you have lost the war. Now, go dedicate yourselves to some cause that requires REAL WORK AND HEART and will actually benefit someone, but first, please shower.”
Thanks! I only read the first few.. I agree. What a waste of time and energy.
The biter’s name is Millipede.. which for some reason , I think may actually be her real name.. knowing this crowd. ;-)
I think Saul Alinsky (”Rules for Radicals”) would have told them they had lost the public sympathy and to pack it in.
Didn’t Clinton get his start as a tree s(h)itter?
Trees are weeds. Ask any farmer.
> Living in trees, biting people, and throwing feces and urine? Forget the jail. They need to lock these animals up in the local zoo.
Oh please, then PETA would be on the case for cruelty to animals (and in this rare case, they would be right! :-)
A recent change in (Oregon) laws, based on prison cases, where this happens frequently, has made flinging feces a felony. Hopefully Dumpster Muffcake and her pal Stinky will get a chance to eat some of their own medicine soon.
Taze him.
Norm! You watchin’ this crazy lady on channel 4? She’s 100’ up in the tree shaking the h@ll out of a box she’s sitting in. She’s gonna splat live on TV. I’m going out to dinner. Someone get screen caps!
p.s. Her name is dumpster muffin!
I am rather surprised that the locals didn’t hit on the obvious sulution - prune the trees, 24/7.
Any branch without a libtard on it, you cut off the tree.
By now, they would be pole sitters, at best.
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