Posted on

Tree attack at East-side forest of People’s Park in early morning – January 15, 2019

People’s Park, January 15, 2019 – People’s Park was attacked by tree cutters and many police in the early morning, surrounding trees while chainsaws chopped more living trees from the East-side forest.

Updated with 30 photos.

Tree attack early morning in People’s Park, January 15, 2019

5:08 am
More than 15 cops are at the park in force.

5:12 am
They came about a hundred deep or so

6:04 am
Tree cutters are operating. Chainsaws are going.

6:40 am
It’s a mess out there. The camp is cleared and the trees are coming down. The police are surrounding each tree as they begin to cut. There is one news van. I called Channel 7 and Marie King called Channel 4. The police have strung caution tape around the entire east end of the Park, Bowditch is closed. They would not allow me to walk up Haste.

I saw and spoke briefly with Ruben Lizardo of UC Capital Projects. I said we had questions and would be in touch.

Ninja (David Joshua Teague) live-streamed on Facebook. (1 hour, 28 minutes)

Adam Ziegler, Michelle Lot, and James Cartmill have been arrested. The tree-sitter was removed, but not charged or arrested.

7:35 am
Two paddy wagons in the parking lot across from the People’s Park.

8:58 am
I was in a vehicle parked on Haste near Bowditch early this morn and witnessed the entire operation as it arrived and rolled out, from that vantage. Seems Command was right outside. We were surrounded by tactical personnel, a variety of vehicles, but couldn’t see all the way over to the protest camp very well.

I’d had strong intuition of this coming down since Sunday, although not at quite this scale. Just as I was wondering how wrong I was, only a few hours ago…

Sunday, after the meeting, I was concerned that there was NO signage identifying and positioning the action to the public, which I’ve regarded as of the utmost importance. I offered to produce some pieces, and to contribute ALL the necessary materials and supplies… if someone could provide transport to my storage and back.

As it is now, the media has plenty of shots and footage of shabby camp remains and wild-eyed, wet wingnuts ranting obscenities and incoherent accusations or threats – which I’m sure will become the promoted face and message of it all.

I hope folks have learned an important lesson from this progression, albeit an expensive one.

9:03 am
I saw several marching phalanx formations arrive. My initial impression was maybe 200 or so. The persons in yellow raincoats are not UCPD. Campus “escorts”? ROTC?

9:18 am
It’s the Highway Patrol.

9:26 am
BPD had some late night rendezvous with UCPD the past two nights, but no visible particiation this morn. Just State Cops, huh? A few nights ago, I’d spotted several “men in black” in the background taking pics/vids when UCPD confronted camp, then they faded back to surveillance positions on properties across streets.

9:33 am
Please guys keep safe,thank you for being there

10:09 am
So, this is interesting — UC posted this very informative press release about 17 hours ago to cover their asses.
https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/01/15/peoples-park/

This timeline of events was gather from the People’s Park Committee mailing list. Contributions by Lisa, Christopher, Andrea, David, Eleanor.

Photos after the second tree killing

These photos are from around 3:45 PM January 15, 2019 a few hours after the tree killing and arrests of protestors who were defending the remaining trees of the East-side forest of Peoples Park. At least seven trees in this community of conscious living tree beings were cut down including two beautiful young olive trees who were always visited by this writer, and others had massive limbs removed. All of these trees had many friends and visitors. This gut wrenching loss adds to the loss on December 28 of about 28 trees. The community of local individuals of various species are shocked and devastated by this terrible attack and destruction of habitat.

Photos with commentary by Greg.

Last updated 11:55 pm

Posted on

Details on Tree Killing in People’s Park – December 28, 2018

More than thirty trees were killed by UC Berkeley in an early morning sneak attack, which they called “Deferred Maintenance”.

UC Berkeley cut at least 22 trees down, starting around 5:00 AM, Friday, December 28, 2018 in a sneak attack. The one page statement they showed protesters said about 41 trees were marked for removal.
Park advocates are organizing a vigil and camp out in the early morning of Saturday, December 29, 2018, to protect remaining 5+ trees that are visibly marked with orange spray paint as well as unmarked trees. People are documenting the crime scene with photos and videos.
It feels awful. Each tree is/was a living individual just minding itself and neighbors. Photos were taken of all visible stumps, with and without a tape measure to show the size and to count the rings and estimate the age of each living being that was cut down. Many stumps are probably buried in the deep layer of wood chips, spewed across the East side of the park, the shredded bodies of killed trees, killed because of of human greed.

Humans are sickeningly greedy, taking the lives of a community of trees in the East side of People’s Park to expand their greedy space wasting architecture and to protect their electrical wires, their capitalist academic profiteering, the construction industry profiteering, the landlord profiteering, the goods and services profiteering, all preying on students and families of students, while damaging the open space and beautiful trees of People’s Park that many people from all walks of life enjoy. Why do humans keep destroying open space and trees in the city? Don’t they ever get sick of the apartment boxes, pollution, asphalt, cars and noise?

Many beautiful trees remain, but many are marked for destruction.
Park supporters are organizing for a campout at midnight to protect the remaining trees and hold UC Berkeley accountable for their tree killing.

Photo documentation of 22 killed trees, and remaining trees of the East side of People’s Park

22 killed trees

These are good sized trees, all shapes and sizes and species. All living beings in a community forest. They had been here for many years, some decades. They communicated via their roots, branches and leaves and subtle fragrances, electro-biochemical  communication systems beyond the understanding of humans. They were violently killed by some people. Why?

Maimed trees

A vital urban forest, decimated

At least 22 large trees were destroyed December 28, 2018 in this small forest at the East side of People’s Park in Berkeley, California. This next group of photos shows a significantly thinned forest, the ground covered in a thick layer of wood chipped from the killed trees. This is a tragic scene of carnage.

Trees remaining but marked for removal

Please help try to save these remaining beautiful trees, these beautiful living beings. We want them in our community, even if they are not perfect. They are conscious, just like we are.

These trees are beautiful, stately, elegant, good-natured, righteous, upstanding, lively, peaceful, cleansing, healing, thoughtful, intelligent, patient, calm, strong, enduring, wise.

A view of the East Side near sunset

You might not know these trees or their names, but they are individual beings. They are conscious beings.

Go to the park, the forest, the gardens, the inhabitants and the visitors. Know it, and protect it.

— Greg Jalbert, December 28, 2018, 11:27 PM

Posted on

Christmas Meals for People’s Park Community

One of the outstanding features of the People’s Park is consistent long-term support for people with free meals provided by Food Not Bombs and many other local organizations. Christmas day, December 25, 2018, was yet another gathering of people for the community meal.

Christmas meal in People’s Park 2018 – Photo: Dusk Delacour
Christmas meal in People’s Park 2018 – Photo: Dusk Delacour
Posted on

41 Trees Destroyed in People’s Park by UC Berkeley in Early Morning “Deferred Maintenance”

People’s Park, Berkeley, California, December 28, 2018

(This post will get ongoing updates.)

Tree Stump – People’s Park , December 28, 2018

I was up really early this morning — started hearing vehicles around the Park around 4:30am. I went out and there were workers swarming all over Hate Camp. I started to take pictures, the cops came over, and let me look at the attached “talking points”. They say it is “long deferred maintenance”. I asked the cop why they need to be starting so early, was it because they were afraid of a protest? She said probably.

There was nothing I could do to stop them. I tried getting up close to delay them but they started the chainsaw at 4:56am.

— Lisa Teague

Be strong yet peaceful.  Thank you for being there.  This may be only a one day thing. It could be the start of something much bigger.  I think it’s exactly 6 years to the day since they pulled an early morning incursion between Christmas and New Year’s. Please keep me up to date.

     — Arthur Fonseca

Tree Maintenance in People’s Park – UC Berkeley statement 2018-12-28
Berkeleyside published this article about the action:

Cal to remove 42 trees at People’s Park to ‘address long-deferred maintenance’

ABC 7 coverage of the protest

Just FYI — here’s the Daily Cal story from 2015 when they completed the first part of the tree cutting project: UC Berkeley project removes, trims trees in People’s Park

The People’s Park community is opposed to the construction of student housing on People’s Park.

Protect Our Green Space, Trees, Community, Historical Landmark, Free Speech, Social Justice, Civil Rights, Gardens, Music, Art, Style, Freebox, Recreation, Climate, Ecology, Education, Sports

Posted on

Digger truck alert… false alarm.

Okay, no problem…

ALERT: There’s a digger truck on the curb, right outside the park right now. Attack eminent?

 

  • Friday night, 9:58 PM December 7, 2018. What’s going on? Who can check in on things and let us know? Is there an attack on the park coming? We don’t want the park damaged with unwanted development.
  • Hey all,  Sorry about that, seems like it was a false alarm. The digger truck had gotten temporarily stuck on the curb for a while, the truck and the digger are now gone — AZ
  • I was going to bike up before sunrise and start a giant dance party right there. Igor Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps style with People’s Park characteristics! Should I still do it? Where can we get all night food in that neighborhood? Cast of thousands. I’m ready. I had chai! — GJ