Posted on 09/09/2008 1:23:33 PM PDT by SmithL
Four tree-sitters began climbing down from an 80-foot-tall redwood tree near Memorial Stadium this afternoon after UC Berkeley officials agreed to create a committee that will oversee future campus development, a spokesman for the protesters said.
UC officials declined to comment on the reported deal, saying they will speak after the nearly 2-year-long standoff ends. But protesters atop the tree pumped their fists in a show of victory.
Before climbing down, one of the protesters, nicknamed Huck, shouted, "We love you" to cheering supporters below.
The protesters' deal with the university does not include amnesty from criminal charges, said their spokesman, Erik Eisenberg.
More than 300 people, including students, supporters of the protesters and others watching out of curiosity, were gathered on Piedmont Avenue to watch the end of the protest, which began Dec. 1, 2006 in an attempt to block UC from building a sports training facility where a grove of trees stood.
Campus police arrested three supporters of the tree-sitters, while other protesters screamed, banged drums, held signs and burned sage.
Before protesters came down, UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison and Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya were in a basket suspended from a crane near the top of the protesters' tree, trying one last time to talk the protesters into coming down.
Workers brought in scaffolding about 8:30 a.m. that could be used to extract the sitters from the redwood tree, which has been stripped of all but its uppermost branches.
By 1 p.m., the scaffolding had nearly reached the tree-sitters' perch.
Angry protesters screamed at campus police, with one man blowing cigarette smoke into an officer's face. Another officer twice used his arm to push back a man. "Stand back!" the officer yelled.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
3 down, 1 to go.. Huck.
Heard this on FOX News. They said the guys in the “cherry picker” had to wear HAZ MAT suits because the bottom of the tree was covered in human feces. What is it with these hippy protesters and their love affair with feces anyway?
As soon as the last protester touches ground, the University should announce that they were lying in order to prevent a hazardous situation, and that there will be no committee and that all concessions to the tree-sitters are null and void because they were made under the threat of physical violence.
Silly hippies releasing carbon...
L
Gee, what a great life they have lead ( WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!! )
What’s that hum in the air... Smelly hippies make my sick.
When a negotiator is talking to somebody who is about to throw himself off a bridge, he will say anything and everything to get that person to come down. Once the person is in custody, it is generally understood that nothing the negotiator said is legally binding in any way.
I think the same standard should apply to this case.
Hippies are twice as USELESS AS DEMOCRATS! That’s saying a lot in my opinion!!
Darn! No bags?! No toe tags?!
Dang it. I had 09-10-08 in the pool. Missed it by one day.
My site has lots of pictures from the last couple of days. http://www.protestshooter.com/
Thanks, Great Shots!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.