On August 29th, the University of California Police Department staged an early morning operation at the Memorial Oak Grove that is located on the South East of UC Berkeley campus. UCPD officers erected a ten foot high chain-link fence along the perimeter of the tree-sits to prevent supporters from bringing food and water to the tree-sitters. An emergency rally was organized later that day. Several arrests are reported to have occurred while Save the Oaks supporters attempted to pull down the fence surrounding the Grove.

An Emergency Court Hearing was held on August 30th at 1:30pm in Alameda Superior Court in Hayward to consider whether the fencing of the oak grove is a violation of the current court ordered injunction.

Support marches are leaving from the Oak Grove at noon on both Friday, August 31st and Saturday, September 1st.

Coast Live Oaks are the primary woodland ecosystem of the East Bay. Several years ago, Berkeley passed a law that prohibits their destruction. Under the law, which is called the Berkeley Coast Live Oak Moratorium, it is illegal to cut down any mature Coast Live Oak in Berkeley if the tree measures over six inches in diameter at chest height. All 38 threatened oaks in the Memorial Grove would be protected from destruction under the Berkeley moratorium, but the University has stated that because UC is part of state government, it is “not obliged to obey local environmental laws.”

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