Three Protesters Take To Redwood Tree Next to Sather Gate on UC Berkeley Campus

Three protesters have set up camp on the UC Berkeley main campus just next to Sather Gate in a redwood tree about 30 feet above the ground.

UCPD Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya said the police would treat the incident as they have the protest at Memorial Stadium, where protesters have lodged in the trees since December, and would not try to forcibly remove anyone.

Celaya said because the protesters are relatively high in the tree, he was not sure if officers have yet made contact to inform them that they are subject to arrest or citation. If the protesters are students or other university affiliates, they could face other campus sanctions.

Celaya said the likely cause of the move is to bring more attention to Memorial Stadium oaks cause, and that Saturday’s Cal Day, the campus’s open house, may be a factor.

One of the protesters in the tree identified himself as UC Berkeley senior Jason Ahmadi, but said he would not comment until Friday. Ahmadi said he and the other protesters climbed the redwood tree last night. Other people near the tree who said they know the three in the trees said the incident is not related to the protest at Memorial Stadium.

The protesters at Memorial Stadium are challenging a campus plan to build a student athletic center, which would involve the removal of 26 coast live oak trees. UC Berkeley is currently enjoined from altering the site pending the resolution of three lawsuits challenging the plans, which have been lodged by the city of Berkeley, California Oak Foundation and a nearby neighborhood association.

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