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East Bay | Education & Student Activism | Environment & Forest Defense | Police State and PrisonsOak Grove Extraction #3
Photos I took of the attack on the Oak Grove tree sits in June 17 As the day wore on we got tired but so did the extractors. They took several breaks the came for us again. They had become more aggressive and had come in larger numbers per cherry picker as our defense was working well. They took a long break at 3:00 and we thought that they were done for the day. Then they came one last time. There was a very spirited defense of the safety line between Redwood and Lower Diodar. Two tree sitters grabbed the pole saw when the arborists tried to use it and the extractors discarded it. Then a roll of super strong tape and a rope were snatched away and the rope was saved many times. After a struggle with a second rope the extractors went away.
I looked up and saw a cherry picker with two men in it near the line with Millipede on it. Each extractor had a knife in his right hand and they were comparing blades and getting ready to go for her. She was clipped onto a line twenty feet above my head and 60 or more feet from the ground. I screamed, "They have knives!" They moved the cherry picker basket to the line that kept Millipede from falling to her death and went after her. She tried to avoid them and they tried to get her. I looked away for a moment and when I looked back her rope had been cut and the ends were falling down without her on it. I thought she was falling and waited for the sound of her body hitting the ground. The fact that I did not hear this was the only reason that I knew she was still alive. This was very traumatizing for me. I later heard her screaming and called out to her but she was unable to hear me. I saw her being dragged away by six UC police officers. After this the extractors cut the hammock with me in it. It had been attached by three lines and they cut one. I swung down and hung upside down but was able to make it back to Redwood. The extractors cut down the tree sit in Twin and then were done for the day. It had been eleven hours of assault on the grove. We had held out well, there were a dozen extractors with a crane and three cherry pickers. There had been one arrest, several lines were cut and five tree sits taken down but only the ones that we were unable to defend. The majority of the tree sits still stood. We stayed up late putting in new lines to prepare for the next day. I think the university thought it would take one day but they were wrong. We felt that we had done well to defend our home, the oaks we love so much.
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Extractors approach Lower Diodar while police look on.
Another cherry picker at Lower Diodar. People had spilled some pisss on extractors after warning not to come near or it would be poured. now the extractors had riot shields.
Extractors with a riot shield and rain ponchos close in on Lower Diodar after being warned of piss throwing.
Shit splatters the riot shield of the extractors and they retreat. This was a controversial strategy for some but worked well. Workers were always warned first and was only used as a last resort to keep them away and to keep us safe. There were many opportunities to get police officers and even UCPD Chief Vicky Harrison but it was only used defensively. The hated liar, university spokesman Dan Mogalof was actually sitting on the steps, just below, eating a sandwich while this was going on.
You and Olive protect their safety line from a cherry picker.
Long view of Olive and You saving our safety line.
An extractor busy cutting down a tree sit looks away as i take a photo.
Two cherry pickers go for Atlantica.
A tree sitter again holds the line and wont let it be cut. All we have is our bodies to put between the grove and its destruction.
Two women are arrested after they try to get near to video tape what was going on. The police wanted no witnesses.
Supporters on the ground cheer us on.
Shem takes a break in Atlantica.
A tree sitter rests their arm on a branch of Redwood.
Extractors fend off ickyness while trying to cut a line.
Three extractors near Atlantica. We were harder to deal with than expected and now three were needed for each cherry picker. This meant no more climbers in the lower trees.
Some of the many students that were let into the closed gym. they cheered the police. This was especially viscous when they cheered on the incredibly dangerous extraction of Millipede.
Extractors take over the undefended twin tree sit.
Extractors cut down the Twin platform. The one on the left uses our saw to do it.
The wreckage of the twin tree sit lays on the ground. It, along with many others will be thrown into a dumpster and hauled away. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment and food were lost this way.
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