Jun 20, 2008 12:13 am US/Pacific
Sitter Pulled From Tree, Arrested At UC Berkeley
BERKELEY (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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Tree-sitters at UC Berkeley.
UC Berkeley
Campus authorities at the University of California, Berkeley told a group of protestors sitting in a stand of oak trees that they would not be receiving any more food or supplies, and at least one sitter was pulled down from his perch and arrested on Thursday evening.
University spokespeople indicated that whenever there was an opportunity to bring down a tree-sitter in a peaceful manner, authorities planned to take that opportunity.
However, activists contended videotape shot by a freelance journalist of the police action showed the arrest was less than peaceful.
An entire block of Piedmont Avenue was closed by police barricades on Thursday night. Doug Buchwald, who's with a group called Save the Oaks, said campus police became more aggressive about 5 p.m. and accused them of trying to push supporters further away so they can't see what police are doing to the tree-sitters.
The head of the university police department, Victoria Harrison, rode in a gondola up to the trees late in the afternoon, telling the protestors that they would not be getting any more food or water — essentially warning them that their time in the trees was up.
Campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said a group of 8 or 9 remaining tree protesters were confined to one or two trees. Previously, a larger group of protesters were spread out in many different trees.
The protesters took to tree-sitting 18 months ago due to the university's controversial attempt to build a new athletic training facility near the oak grove.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said earlier Thursday that he expected the long legal battle over the fate of the plan to continue indefinitely, but an attorney for the university expressed hopeful that an Alameda County judge would soon lift her injunction and allow construction work to begin.
Meantime, the situation at the grove of trees near Memorial Stadium remained tense throughout the day, with protesters yelling epithets at officers from UC Berkeley and other UC campuses who have come to Berkeley to help maintain order.
Mogulof said he didn't have any information about arrests on Thursday, but Arthur Fonseca, a supporter of the tree protesters, said a man known by the nickname "Redwood" was arrested in the morning for allegedly violating an order to stay away from university property.
Fonseca said "Redwood" was arrested while he was doing yoga on the median strip on Piedmont Avenue in front of the grove of trees.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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