KGO: U.C. Berkeley to cut down trees

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U.C. Berkeley may begin cutting down the oak trees at the center of an ongoing battle. They pulled out the chainsaw after a huge legal victory on Thursday.  At about 8:30 am on Friday the chainsaws started up and branches of the tree that is home to the four remaining tree sitters began coming down. U.C. says this is the beginning of the end, but supporters say they are not giving up without a fight.  For starters Friday morning, tree cutters removed every branch below their first platform.   "We want to continue to make conditions for them difficult, but not dangerous. We don't want anybody to get hurt. The last thing we want to do is where we have to consider a forcible extraction," said Dan Mogulof, UC Berkeley spokesman.

And there is an allegation of violence. The university said one of the tree sitters threw a bottle at a tree cutter and sliced his head open. An ABC7 video shows a bottle dropped by a tree sitter hitting another tree sitter in the head and you can even hear the sounds of 'heads up.' But there still maybe violence; tree sitters supporters suggest as much.   "The plan has been, since day one, to defend this native burial ground by whatever means people feel necessary, and that is continuing to be the plan," said Dumpster Muffin, tree sitter supporter.  One thing to talk the talk, but back in June, Dumpster Muffin also walked the walk. Or more accurately took a stand on the tiptop of the redwood tree they are trimming on Friday. On a platform called the god pod. She screamed at a tree trimmer. When she talks about whatever means necessary, she may mean it.

"I feel that my life came from the earth and I'm willing to give my life to defend it," said Dumpster Muffin.

As much as they want the tree sitters to come down peacefully, words, if not bottles continue to fly out on Friday.  They have also trimmed some oak trees, but the wholesale cutting down of the trees has not started, and according to UC that could start later on Friday when the tree cutting company starts its work. There was a press conference with the tree sitters on Friday. They were asked: "What are you going to do when the university comes up to remove you?" They said: "We don't know, we haven't thought about that."