A lone redwood containing three protesters is nearly all that remains standing in a tree grove near Memorial Stadium today, as UC Berkeley hired arborists moved quickly to clear the area. Cutting started Friday afternoon, and by noon today, only a few trees remained in the grove, which has been the site of a nearly two-year protest. The tree containing the sitters has been stripped of all lower branches, and the sitters seemed subdued. "We're going to give them a couple of days to let the reality sink in, and hopefully they'll see that, with the trees gone, their protest is completely pointless," university spokesman Dan Mogulof said today. "They aren't slowing us down at all." Meanwhile, about two dozen tree sit supporters gathered near the grove, quietly watching. Earlier in the day, some gathered in a circle, holding hands, singing and praying.
Five people have been arrested in protests near the grove, and some protesters complained that police were too rough. "The cops were rough, but nothing compares to what the trees feel," said Ayr, one of the main tree sit supporters whose real name is Erik Eisenberg. He was among those arrested Friday and led from the grove in handcuffs. "They've never hesitated to use violence to uphold this culture of death," he said. Crews began cutting the trees Friday, 21 months after activists climbed into the trees to protest the university's plans to raze them and build a $140 million sports training center. The grove contained about 40 redwoods, oaks and other trees.
Hillary Lehr reacts to seeing how firewood is really made.
1 comment:
I feel the same way when I cut into a ripe tomato, after all they have feelings just like the trees have.
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