Four Remaining Tree-Sitters Leave UC Berkeley Oak Grove

Tree-Sitters Reached Agreement With Campus Officials

Photo: UC police Chief Victoria Harrison and Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya (pictured in the top cherry-picker) give the tree-sitters a final opportunity to come down voluntarily.
Anna Hiatt/Staff
UC police Chief Victoria Harrison and Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya (pictured in the top cherry-picker) give the tree-sitters a final opportunity to come down voluntarily.


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The longest urban tree-sit in history has come to an end with the descent of the final four tree-sitters from their post in the oak grove near UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium.

The tree-sitter known as "Huck," who was escorted down scaffolding around the redwood, was the final protester to be removed from the grove at approximately 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

As part of an agreement with campus officials, the tree-sitters agreed to come down after Vice Chancellor of Administration Nathan Brostrom issued a statement saying the university will involve the community in land use issues in the future, according to the tree-sitter who calls himself Huck.

"We were able to reach an accord under which we would come down peacefully," Huck said before descending the redwood.

The sitters and their supporters originally asked the campus to promise permanent and long-term discussions over the campus' use of land, as well as payment of $6 million in mitigation--that would be donated to groups of their choice--before the sitters would agree to leave the trees.

Huck said today that the tree-sitters requested that UCPD "back off so we feel a little bit decent," and UCPD complied.

When asked about the first thing he would do after descending, Huck replied, "Probably go to jail."

Ground supporters of the tree-sit had a scuffle with UCPD officers at the grove after UCPD Chief Victoria Harrison and Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya spoke with the tree-sitters from a crane-suspended platform at approximately 10 a.m.

Dan Mogulof, UC Berkeley's executive director of public affairs, said this morning that Harrison and Celaya were there to ask the tree-sitters to come down voluntarily.

UCPD began scaffolding around the lone redwood in which four tree-sitters remain this morning.

At about 8 a.m., UC Berkeley began moving cherrypickers around to prepare for work in the grove.

The campus began cutting down the trees at the oak grove on Friday, after an appeals court gave the go-ahead to begin construction of a $125 million athletic center at the site of the grove.

Check out www.dailycal.org for ongoing updates.

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Will Kane is the city news editor. Stephanie M. Lee is the assistant university news editor. Contact them at newsdesk@dailycal.org.



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