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UC-Berkeley Tree Sitters Win Nonstory of the Year

February 5, 2008 RSS Feed Print

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It's been well over a year (some would say "forever"), and the legal battles rage on for tree sitters and administrators at UC-Berkeley. As the Daily Cal fastidiously covers the story, we're all left to wonder: Does anyone else on campus think this story is as important as the student newspaper makes it out to be? The answer, in short: Not really.

"It's not in the zeitgeist right now," says Will Kane—the most recent reporter on the tree-sitter beat. Kane admits he does his best not to think about it all the time ("No, I don't dream about the tree sitters") and that the average students don't discuss the latest news in the hippie saga. But then again, when something exciting does happen (falling poop, a naked photo shoot, or maybe some actual progress in the courtroom), Kane insists students on campus do care—perhaps something we cynical East Coasters may not get about the whole Berkeley protesting thing.

As for the activists who continue to live the aerie life, is there an end in sight? "They say they're there for as long as it takes the university to take them down," Kane says. It's a good thing Kane is currently a sophomore: Looks like this won't be over anytime soon.

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Just Give me a chainsaw with a 12 INCH BLADE ON IT AND I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO GET THEM DOWN. AND IF THEY GET HURT OR KILLED OH WELL THEY ARE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE TREES ARE OWNEN BY THE SCHOOL AND THEY CAN DO WHAT EVER THEY WANT TO WITH THERE PROPERTY.

GREG of CA 1:27PM September 09, 2008

Ultimately, after that grove is cut down, after the other grove is cut down for the Helios building, and after the other grove is cut down for the computer lab....
over 100+ trees will be missing from the area.
As well, the Oak Grove (although, it has more than Oaks) is special because it is a strip of ecosystem within urban boundaries. And there is declining number of spots like that within the Bay Area. Having a park walking distance from school, work, or etc is helpful to the community.
The park has been of course altered by the school in the past year. Shrubs and flowers have been all pulled out making the grove look extremely manufactured.
Also the sleep deprivation techniques used by the school are all outlawed in the EU. Due to public outcry, the school did in fact get quieter generators for their lights. As well there have been many well documented cases of police brutality and false arrests. Press and medical professionals are denied access to go up in the canopy. Yes there have been abuses, in fact things got so bad that the local Lawyer's Guild held a press conference decrying the tactics of the police and the school as illegal.
No we aren't the same people who spray paint the stop signs.
And the van rarely was used for anything other than a place to sit or store stuff. It was just parked there. And its gone anyway.
A lot of the people involved are homeless or temporarily homeless, or semi-homeless but we all do the best we can to look our best. I do say though that any claim of odor is exaggerated. We have dozens and dozens and dozens of visitors everyday, and nobody has every told me or anyone I know that we stink.
Homelessness is a real problem affecting real people. If you are concerned about the issue, be part of the solution.
We don't have Tibetan prayer flags.
We are home. The Earth is everyone's home.

Tree Helper of CA 8:18PM February 25, 2008

Ok, these aren't my words, but they are my sentiments. This is an open letter to the tree sitters from the 'Best of Craigslist':
Dear Berkeley tree-sitters,
Let me begin by stating that I like trees. Some of my best friends are trees and I generally support the peaceful coexistence of humans and trees. Similarly, I worry about carbon dioxide emissions and their impact on global climate. I also work on the UC Berkeley campus, and I often walk or ride along Piedmont Ave. on my way to or from work. Thus, I encounter your encampment on a near-daily basis. I see your slogans chalked on the sidewalks. I see your Tibetan prayer flags. I pass through clouds of your collective body odor and exhaled marijuana smoke. Having observed your actions for quite some time now, sometimes I wonder if you've ever considered just how much damage you're doing to legitimate pro-environment, pro-leftist movements everywhere.
Let us examine a few key points that may help you understand why your effort to save the oak grove manages to be futile, ridiculous, ignorant, destructive, and offensive all at the same time:
(1) Consider what you are fighting for.
How many trees does UC intend to destroy for its construction project? (Answer: 38). Is the coast live oak an endangered or threatened species? (Answer: No). Will the removal of these individual trees have any significant impact on the health of the overall population of the species? (Answer: No). Consider how many collective man-hours your campaign has devoted to saving these trees. Has it occurred to you that your time may be better spent focusing on (for example) the huge swaths of the Amazon that are cut down by loggers and developers every day? Are you choosing to protect 38 trees because you really think it is a significant, meaningful cause? I hope not--because that would be ignorant. It seems much more likely that you choose this battle because it is relatively convenient and riskless. Honestly--why don't you sac up and take on a *real* environmental offender?
(2) Consider your conduct.
Do you intend to win the hearts and minds of the people with catch-phrases like "Guantanamo Berkeley" chalked on the sidewalks? Do you really think you have anything in common with the prisoners currently incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay? Perhaps in a momentary flash of sobriety, one of you will realize just how offensive it is to draw a comparison between your fenced-in encampment and an actual prison.
(3) Consider the backlash of your actions.
You are the source and embodiment of all negative stereotypes that conservatives hold against liberals. If you're going to stage a protest, are you capable of doing it in a dignified, respectable manner? Hint: smoking drugs in the trees does not exude dignity. Also, consider periodic showers. Rather than winning popular support from pedestrians who encounter your encampment, you are actually contributing to their mistrust and ire toward environmentalists. Perhaps you are Republicans dressed up as hippies deliberately trying to damage public opinion of the left?
(4) Consider your hypocrisy.
Is that your 60's-era VW minibus parked next to the "Stop driving" message chalked on the sidewalk? Do you know what the gas-mileage on that thing is? (Answer: ~14-18 mpg) Have you considered investing in a catalytic converter? Perhaps you are also the same people who spray-paint "driving" on all the stop signs in Berkeley. Do you think your graffiti will trigger a massive, group epiphany in passing motorists and cause them to suddenly abandon the automobile as a mode of transportation? In reality, your graffiti (and your very presence) only detracts from the natural beauty of this campus and the surrounding town.
In summary, do not think for a moment that you exist under a shield of popular support. You are wasting your time on a futile, meaningless cause. If you're going continue living outdoors and imparting your naïve views on pedestrians, I suggest that you move your operation to People's Park (or perhaps the sidewalk of Shattuck Ave) where you can peacefully co-exist with the rest of Berkeley's hobos.
Go home. We're sick of you guys.

Bryan of CA 1:12PM February 19, 2008

UC-Berkeley Tree Sitters Win Nonstory of the Year

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