Oak Tree sitter arrested again

Supporters were working to win his release Monday afternoon as the Daily Planet’s deadline approached.

Running Wolf was the second tree-sitter arrested Friday morning in the grove immediately west of Memorial Stadium.

Athena Osborn, the 25-year-old protester known as “Tinkerbell” and “Otter,” was arrested at 1:50 a.m. when she descended from her perch in a redwood. She was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest and booked into the Berkeley city lockup.

In a phone call to the newspaper moments before his arrest, Running Wolf said police had just arrived and started cutting down the traversing ropes linking the tree-sitting sites and set up to enable rapid movement above the ground.

Also seized was a banner supplied by Berkeley activist L.A. Wood promoting the website where he posts videos he has shot about the ongoing protests at the grove, berkeleycitizen.org/youtube.html.

The tree-sit, called to protest the planned destruction of the grove to make way for a $125 million gymnasium, began well before dawn on Big Game Saturday, Dec. 9., when Running Wolf ascended a redwood and took up residence high above the branches.

He has been arrested three times at the site, twice for traffic warrants and once on charges of threatening police and resisting arrest, felony charges.

He had attended a court hearing Thursday on the more serious charges.

Running Wolf is being represented by noted San Francisco defense attorney Tony Serra.