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Memorial Oak Grove Supporters visit Simpson's Annual Stockholder's Meeting
Supporters of the Memorial Oak Grove in Berkeley visit Simpson's Annual Stockholder's Meeting in Pleasanton requesting their chairman to divest his donation of $25 million to UC Berkeley's current proposed construction project that would raze the Grove, which stands on an Ohlone tribal burial ground and represtns a World War I War Memorial
Today, supporters of the Memorial Oak Grove in Berkeley interrupted the Annual Stockholder's Meeting at the headquarters for the Simpson Manufacturing Company in Pleasanton. Supporters of the Grove arrived at the meeting to inform shareholders about Barclay Simpson's donation of $25 million to the proposed Student Athletic High Performance Center at UC Berkeley and of his intention to name the building after himself.
Numerous letters had been sent prior to the meeting to Barclay with no response. Supporters of the Grove urge Mr. Simpson to divest his funding until the building site is changed to a more suitable location.
Many of the shareholder's in the meeting sat quietly in their seats with dumbfounded looks on their faces while informative documents were distributed amongst them by Supporters of the Grove. Two of the "higher ups" on the Board of Directors at Simpson are affiliated with Haas Business School. Jennifer A. Chatman is a Professor of Management at Haas and Earl F. Cheit is the Dean of Haas Business School and on the "Audit Committee". The people in the meeting did not render any kind of affirmative response, except that they seemed eager to have the Memorial Oak supporters leave the meeting where not much seemed to be happening.
Outside the meeting (next to the fountain), banners in support of the Grove waved in the air and some very skilled tree climbers posted trees in some of the 'pasty white' saplings outside.
Memorial Oak Grove, which lies adjacent to Memorial Stadium where Cal's football team has their games, stands atop a portion of a Native burial ground for the Ohlone tribe. This fact has been substantiated by the local Native community and by UC Berkeley's own environmental impact report for the new facility, where it was revealed that 18 Native remains were found when the stadium was built in 1923.
Some of the trees in the Grove were also planted in 1923 as part of a World War I Veterans Memorial. There is one surviving World War I vet in the US currently and he also would like to see the facility built somewhere else. Frank Woodruff Buckles is 107 years old and both his wife and father-in-law both graduated from Cal. His mentor, while he was in World War II was also a professor at Cal.
There has been a tree sit ongoing at the Grove now for over 500 days to protect the Grove while a lawsuit makes its way thorugh the legal system. The tree sitters 'risk life and limb' as the adjacent stadium stands atop the very active Hayward earthquake fault.
The Grove is also significant in it's own rite as a wildlife corridor, and as an intact forest eco-system in an urban setting of mature Coast Live Oak trees. They are a native species to California and illegal to cut according to Berkeley law.
As the war profiteers/UC Regents attempt to circumvent the earthquake safety laws, the Grove Defenders continue to challenge a mentality that is unsustainable and wreaks of disrespect. It's 2008 and and Native land is still under seige.
Numerous letters had been sent prior to the meeting to Barclay with no response. Supporters of the Grove urge Mr. Simpson to divest his funding until the building site is changed to a more suitable location.
Many of the shareholder's in the meeting sat quietly in their seats with dumbfounded looks on their faces while informative documents were distributed amongst them by Supporters of the Grove. Two of the "higher ups" on the Board of Directors at Simpson are affiliated with Haas Business School. Jennifer A. Chatman is a Professor of Management at Haas and Earl F. Cheit is the Dean of Haas Business School and on the "Audit Committee". The people in the meeting did not render any kind of affirmative response, except that they seemed eager to have the Memorial Oak supporters leave the meeting where not much seemed to be happening.
Outside the meeting (next to the fountain), banners in support of the Grove waved in the air and some very skilled tree climbers posted trees in some of the 'pasty white' saplings outside.
Memorial Oak Grove, which lies adjacent to Memorial Stadium where Cal's football team has their games, stands atop a portion of a Native burial ground for the Ohlone tribe. This fact has been substantiated by the local Native community and by UC Berkeley's own environmental impact report for the new facility, where it was revealed that 18 Native remains were found when the stadium was built in 1923.
Some of the trees in the Grove were also planted in 1923 as part of a World War I Veterans Memorial. There is one surviving World War I vet in the US currently and he also would like to see the facility built somewhere else. Frank Woodruff Buckles is 107 years old and both his wife and father-in-law both graduated from Cal. His mentor, while he was in World War II was also a professor at Cal.
There has been a tree sit ongoing at the Grove now for over 500 days to protect the Grove while a lawsuit makes its way thorugh the legal system. The tree sitters 'risk life and limb' as the adjacent stadium stands atop the very active Hayward earthquake fault.
The Grove is also significant in it's own rite as a wildlife corridor, and as an intact forest eco-system in an urban setting of mature Coast Live Oak trees. They are a native species to California and illegal to cut according to Berkeley law.
As the war profiteers/UC Regents attempt to circumvent the earthquake safety laws, the Grove Defenders continue to challenge a mentality that is unsustainable and wreaks of disrespect. It's 2008 and and Native land is still under seige.
For more information:
http://saveoaks.com
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This article is an example of everything that can go wrong with journalism. The grove is NOT a Native American Burial ground; there was one remain of undeterminate ethnic origin found on site. The grove has been declared too small to be a wildlife corridor by several experts; a simple walk through the area would also prove that there are no wildlife living there. The grove was not planted as a memorial to WWI veterans; it was in fact planted a couple years after MEMORIAL stadium was built to serve as landscaping. In addition, this article made NO MENTION that only some of the trees will be removed, to be replaced by three times as many trees that were removed.
The Womens' Lacrosse team plays in Memorial Stadium as well, and the only fracilities that are "practical" to their needs are the ones in Memorial Stadium. Those "facilities" right now are nothing more than a couple of meeting rooms; many of the women on the lacrosse team have to change in their cars in the public parking lots. Do you stand against these female student-athletes? Do you feel that they are all "trained thugs" (words of one of your supporters), and not students who have worked hard to succeed in a culturally significant sport in order to pay their way through schooling and eventually to a productive career?
But of course. 30+ trees are worth more than them, even if those 30+ trees will be replaced by about 100 new trees.
But of course. 30+ trees are worth more than them, even if those 30+ trees will be replaced by about 100 new trees.
1. California Memorial Stadium was built as a memorial to World War I veterans. The landscaping project itself is not the memorial. And what better way to celebrate the bravery of our World War veterans than to renovate the monument built to honor them so that future generations will never forget their sacrifice?
2. Just as the Marines are an institution of the Federal government, the University of California is an institution of the State of California - and neither are subject to the local ordinances passed by the City of Berkeley. Make no mistake about it: the ordinance protecting California Live Coastal Oaks is a CITY ordinance. Live Coastal Oaks are not an endangered species and there are millions of them throughout California.
3. The lawsuit currently making its way through the court system is in NO WAY about protecting the trees outside Memorial Stadium. The judge is only deciding whether the University has fully addressed the impact of the planned Simpson Student Athlete High Performance Center in its environmental impact report. If the judge finds in favor of the plaintiffs, the University only has to revise the EIR and it will then be allowed to proceed with construction.
4. The California Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey have certified that NO ACTIVE EARTHQUAKE FAULT lies within the footprint of the planned SAHPC. Both agencies conducted their studies at the request of the City of Berkeley - one of the plaintiffs in the pending lawsuit. The findings - which were unfavorable to the Plaintiff's case - were only made public after the University of California filed a petition under the Freedom of Information Act to have the results published. The City of Berkeley is withholding facts which prove that their lawsuit is baseless.
5. The misguided protesters' illegal occupation of the trees in front of Memorial Stadium have cost the University of California (and state taxpayers) more than $500K. The University has had to erect fences to separate the protesters from the thousands of football fans who pass through the area on football game days and they have to had hire extra security forces to ensure public safety. The tree sitters have permanently damaged several of the trees they claim to be protecting by "topping" them in order to secure the WOODEN planks they sit on. They have endangered the entire grove by using propane stoves and burners in their camp. They have made the grove a public health hazard by improperly handling human waste, food scrapes, etc. In their efforts to sway public opinion, they have printed and handed out countless PAPER flyers.
6. The tree sitters are nothing more than TOOLS of the Panoramic Hill Association. The PHA is a group of wealthy homeowners who purchased multi-million dollar homes on the hill overlooking Memorial Stadium and want nothing more than the stadium to be destroyed so that they can protect their views of San Francisco Bay. Construction of Memorial Stadium pre-dates all of the homes on Panoramic Hill - these homeowners should have realized AT THE TIME THEY PURCHASED THEIR HOMES that a 70,000+ seat stadium was in their backyards. These selfish homeowners are simply having a case of "not in my backyard". And why it would be safe for them to occupy homes next to Memorial Stadium when they claim the SAHPC itself will not be safe in the event of an earthquake? Aren't there homes sitting right next to the same earthquake fault?
2. Just as the Marines are an institution of the Federal government, the University of California is an institution of the State of California - and neither are subject to the local ordinances passed by the City of Berkeley. Make no mistake about it: the ordinance protecting California Live Coastal Oaks is a CITY ordinance. Live Coastal Oaks are not an endangered species and there are millions of them throughout California.
3. The lawsuit currently making its way through the court system is in NO WAY about protecting the trees outside Memorial Stadium. The judge is only deciding whether the University has fully addressed the impact of the planned Simpson Student Athlete High Performance Center in its environmental impact report. If the judge finds in favor of the plaintiffs, the University only has to revise the EIR and it will then be allowed to proceed with construction.
4. The California Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey have certified that NO ACTIVE EARTHQUAKE FAULT lies within the footprint of the planned SAHPC. Both agencies conducted their studies at the request of the City of Berkeley - one of the plaintiffs in the pending lawsuit. The findings - which were unfavorable to the Plaintiff's case - were only made public after the University of California filed a petition under the Freedom of Information Act to have the results published. The City of Berkeley is withholding facts which prove that their lawsuit is baseless.
5. The misguided protesters' illegal occupation of the trees in front of Memorial Stadium have cost the University of California (and state taxpayers) more than $500K. The University has had to erect fences to separate the protesters from the thousands of football fans who pass through the area on football game days and they have to had hire extra security forces to ensure public safety. The tree sitters have permanently damaged several of the trees they claim to be protecting by "topping" them in order to secure the WOODEN planks they sit on. They have endangered the entire grove by using propane stoves and burners in their camp. They have made the grove a public health hazard by improperly handling human waste, food scrapes, etc. In their efforts to sway public opinion, they have printed and handed out countless PAPER flyers.
6. The tree sitters are nothing more than TOOLS of the Panoramic Hill Association. The PHA is a group of wealthy homeowners who purchased multi-million dollar homes on the hill overlooking Memorial Stadium and want nothing more than the stadium to be destroyed so that they can protect their views of San Francisco Bay. Construction of Memorial Stadium pre-dates all of the homes on Panoramic Hill - these homeowners should have realized AT THE TIME THEY PURCHASED THEIR HOMES that a 70,000+ seat stadium was in their backyards. These selfish homeowners are simply having a case of "not in my backyard". And why it would be safe for them to occupy homes next to Memorial Stadium when they claim the SAHPC itself will not be safe in the event of an earthquake? Aren't there homes sitting right next to the same earthquake fault?
So are you saying that when he ran for mayor under the name Zachary Runningwolf (sp) he was not running under his legal name? (I doubt it) Or are you saying that he was given one name upon his birth, and, as many people do, he changed his name as an adult? Aren't people allowed to do that? In other words, so what?
how many students does the athletic program help? there is nothing wrong with the current stadium, lets use the money raised for helping those students to a better education!
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