Posted on 09/22/2008 8:36:12 AM PDT by SmithL
Berkeley's infamous tree-sitters have been hit with a rude surprise since they came down to earth: Judges are socking them with thousands of dollars in fines and legal fees.
Ironically, much of the money - which could total more than $10,000 per sitter - is going straight to the University of California, the very institution the tree-sitters were protesting as they tried to save a grove of trees outside Memorial Stadium.
"It's really vindictive," said an attorney for some the sitters, Dennis Cunningham. "They don't have this kind of money."
Maybe, but university lawyer Michael Goldstein isn't making any apologies.
"We've asked the judge to throw the book at them," Goldstein said flatly.
UC Berkeley estimates it spent more than $800,000 on police and other security measures during the 22 months sitters were up in the trees. The university spent $40,000 alone on the scaffolding that went up around the final tree during the last day of the protest this month.
Now, the school wants its pound of flesh.
So far, most of the 15 to 20 protesters arrested in the past year have been hit with fines of about $100 for trespassing and little or no jail time.
Once they were back on the street, however, the university hauled them back into court on contempt charges for violating an order issued in October by Judge Richard Keller of Alameda County Superior Court that banned people from sitting in the trees or doing anything to help the protesters already up in the branches.
Protesters Eric Eisenberg, Michael Schuck, Gregg Horton, Terri Slanetz and Matthew Taylor were found guilty last month of violating Keller's injunction. Each was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, and two were sentenced to serve five extra days in jail.
The university is also seeking as much as $10,000 from each of them for...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
No, it wants the million dollars these idiots stole from the taxpayers of CA.
I am happy to see that the University is reneging on that deal. The University was negotiating under duress with people who were on the verge of killing themselves. It is only fitting that any agreements made under such circumstances have no weight attached to them.
No bias there, is there?
**Judges are socking them with thousands of dollars in fines and legal fees.**
The tree sitters as well as their “Parent Organizations” such as the Siera Club, Earth First or WHATEVER, should be sued for EVERY PENNY the school lost, Including any lost tuition that may have been increased by the construction.
As these morons should be reminded ... “CRIME does Not PAY”
OK Kids! Its time to play “Spot The Looney”!
Still think they should have sprayed them with .50 cal which would also have KO’d the tree at the same time.
His parents must be so proud.
“....Now, the school wants its pound of flesh.
No, it wants the million dollars these idiots stole from the taxpayers of CA....”
The morons in elected office should be FINED for allowing this crap to go one for 22 freaking months!!
Let some of these fools try such nonsense in other parts of the country. They’d be shut down pronto!
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time...
“It’s really vindictive,” said an attorney for some the sitters, Dennis Cunningham. “They don’t have this kind of money.”
Awww..tis a pity.Well,if they shower & shave,there’s always ditch-digging or trash collection. Or,maybe some environmental group could step forward & pay the fines for them (LOLOLOL! yeah-right!).Put their miserable a$$es on road detail.
Where did they go to the Bathroom...??? on themselves??
Oh crap, that will hit them in their trust fund hard eh? It will probably cut about .5% of their monthly allowances.
“They don’t have this kind of money.”
What lawyer Cunningham means is, “If the court imposes meaningful fines, then I WON’T GET PAID.”
I’m now wondering if the Lawyers AND the Defendants ... are from the UC Berkeley ALUMNI Association!!
After all, Berkeley has bred some of the Greatest Protestors of all time ... so much for EDUCATION
I'm shocked, SHOCKED! I tells ya!
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