UC Berkeley cuts lower branches of trees at protest site at Memorial

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 21, 2008 | by Doug Oakley

Tensions ran high at UC Berkeley on Thursday when arborists tore down part of a tree house occupied by protesters on a site where the school wants to build a athletic training center.

Four people are living in one redwood tree to protest the school's plan to cut the trees down and build the facility.

Protesters blocked traffic on the ground on Piedmont Avenue for about three hours as they shouted encouragement to those in the trees and epithets at police guarding the area.

One woman on the ground was arrested for blocking traffic, University spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

Arborists cut branches on the redwood under the tree house and on trees next to it in order to make it harder for the protesters to move around, Mogulof said.

Police Chief Victoria Harrison rode in a cherry picker close to the redwood to explain to those living in the tree house "that they would not be forcibly removed," Mogulof said.

Earlier in the day a crane moved close to a box perched at the top of the redwood tree about 200 feet up in order to tear it down, but one of the protesters climbed into the box and the plan was aborted.

"We wanted to take down that dangerous structure, but as soon as they moved into it, we decided not to," Mogulof said.

Mogulof said arborist tore down some tarps on the tree house because police were worried the protesters could be hiding weapons or excrement that they might dump on police on the ground.

"There is still a court order in effect protecting those trees, so by cutting the branches they are in violation of the order," said a protester who gave her name as Dumpster Muffin.

In a statement, Mogulof said the court order barring the school from cutting down the trees to start construction did not apply to pruning for safety measures.

"What this is really about is creating conditions whereby the police department can redeploy some of its resources when school starts," Mogulof said.

Mogulof said Judge Barbara Miller, who has presided over a long- running trial stemming from a suit brought by three groups against the school and its plan to build the gym, was notified Thursday morning of the tree trimming and was told it had no connection with construction.

Reach Doug Oakley at doakley@bayareanewsgroup.com.