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Report & more photos from Dec. 17 police actions at UCSC tree-sit
The police action on Monday morning (Dec. 17) at the Science Hill Tree-Sit was little more than an intimidating ruse. About five uniformed officers and at least as many plainclothes officers accompanied a "clean-up crew" consisting of a backhoe, a giant dumpster, a cherry-picker and a street-sweeper with accompanying workmen. But what did they find to fill their gargantuan dumpster with?
The real "clean-up" action at the site was taken by tree-sit organizers themselves, who removed the ground camp in its entirety and extensively cleaned the area last Friday (Dec. 14th) in preparation for Winter Break. All that the tree-sitters left on the ground was the empty Elfland-style "dens" made of branches, a picnic table, a "Save Upper Campus" info-board and a few colorful garden-boxes.
Naturally, tree-sitters and their supporters did not take the appearance of a police-accompanied cherry-picker lightly. Emergency phone calls and emails were made, and over the next couple of hours, 40 or so people showed up to see what was going on and show support. As the University-ordered antics proceeded, observers stood nearby with cameras and loud mouths.
The starring role of the backhoe was to take a few small planter boxes harboring young kale, beets and lettuce in to its steel jaws. The cherry-picker noisily lifted in to the air to clip down a giant banner that was suspended between trees. It then reached menacingly higher, towards the upper banner ("Stop UCSC Expansion"), only to stop in mid-air and retreat back to the ground. The next toy that rolled up was a street-sweeper, which rolled around in circles, removing all the redwood "duff" (leaf-litter) that had accumulated in the parking lot.
Were we about to witness an attempt at forcibly removing the tree-sitters? Although an officer stated that extraction was not part of the plan, cops lie, and there was no way to be sure until the cherry-picker made a final retreat.
It has been suggested in other reports that this police maneuver may have been a way of testing the water in preparation for removing the tree-sitters at a later date. But most everyone, UC administrators included, agree that extraction remains far too dangerous to be a feasible option for the University. In Berkeley, where a tree-sit on UCB campus has been established for over a year, extraction has been considered at length by administrators, and ultimately dismissed.
Naturally, tree-sitters and their supporters did not take the appearance of a police-accompanied cherry-picker lightly. Emergency phone calls and emails were made, and over the next couple of hours, 40 or so people showed up to see what was going on and show support. As the University-ordered antics proceeded, observers stood nearby with cameras and loud mouths.
The starring role of the backhoe was to take a few small planter boxes harboring young kale, beets and lettuce in to its steel jaws. The cherry-picker noisily lifted in to the air to clip down a giant banner that was suspended between trees. It then reached menacingly higher, towards the upper banner ("Stop UCSC Expansion"), only to stop in mid-air and retreat back to the ground. The next toy that rolled up was a street-sweeper, which rolled around in circles, removing all the redwood "duff" (leaf-litter) that had accumulated in the parking lot.
Were we about to witness an attempt at forcibly removing the tree-sitters? Although an officer stated that extraction was not part of the plan, cops lie, and there was no way to be sure until the cherry-picker made a final retreat.
It has been suggested in other reports that this police maneuver may have been a way of testing the water in preparation for removing the tree-sitters at a later date. But most everyone, UC administrators included, agree that extraction remains far too dangerous to be a feasible option for the University. In Berkeley, where a tree-sit on UCB campus has been established for over a year, extraction has been considered at length by administrators, and ultimately dismissed.
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Why do you post the tree company's information? Are you hoping people will harass them for helping out?
And why do you post the photo of a university employee and offer a sarcastic caption? She's not supposed to do her job?
And why do you post the photo of a university employee and offer a sarcastic caption? She's not supposed to do her job?
That university employee (Felicia McGinty) along with UC Police took photographs of students, staff, and faculty members who were spectators at the scene. The UC administration was contacted within the day to investigate some staff members about their activities on their own time.
So maybe you can call and ask her what's the point...
from http://www2.ucsc.edu/its/cgi-bin/ucscdirectory
McGinty, Felicia E
mcginty [at] ucsc.edu
459-2474
So maybe you can call and ask her what's the point...
from http://www2.ucsc.edu/its/cgi-bin/ucscdirectory
McGinty, Felicia E
mcginty [at] ucsc.edu
459-2474
It sounds like the point of this "protest" was/is to provoke a confrontation, which is entirely tangential to the supposed purpose that is constantly parroted. Why did they bring a giant dumpster and what did they fill it with, if there was no debris left behind? And do you care to explain the human waste that was constantly dumped within a few feet of the site? Forgive me if I don't weep for a return to sanity.
Howdy Cowboy,
Did you even read the article above?
article: "40 or so people showed up to see what was going on and show support."
- The presence of these people was not a "protest" and was not provoking a confrontation - it was a group of people observing and documenting a police action, and in some cases, vocalizing their opposition. If the cherry-picker would have moved over to a tree platform, there may have been attempts made at disrupting the operation - but this didn't happen.
article: "All that the tree-sitters left on the ground was the empty Elfland-style "dens" made of branches, a picnic table, a "Save Upper Campus" info-board and a few colorful garden-boxes."
- This is what they filled the dumpster with, along with other branches, rocks, and stumps that were in the area.
"And do you care to explain the human waste that was constantly dumped within a few feet of the site? "
Where are you getting your facts? There have been issues with human shit being found beside a building near the tree sit, at least once - but this was not "dumped", it was a careless individual's dump. From first hand experience, I can attest that shit-compost buckets from the tree-sits are responsibly disposed of, off-campus.
Did you even read the article above?
article: "40 or so people showed up to see what was going on and show support."
- The presence of these people was not a "protest" and was not provoking a confrontation - it was a group of people observing and documenting a police action, and in some cases, vocalizing their opposition. If the cherry-picker would have moved over to a tree platform, there may have been attempts made at disrupting the operation - but this didn't happen.
article: "All that the tree-sitters left on the ground was the empty Elfland-style "dens" made of branches, a picnic table, a "Save Upper Campus" info-board and a few colorful garden-boxes."
- This is what they filled the dumpster with, along with other branches, rocks, and stumps that were in the area.
"And do you care to explain the human waste that was constantly dumped within a few feet of the site? "
Where are you getting your facts? There have been issues with human shit being found beside a building near the tree sit, at least once - but this was not "dumped", it was a careless individual's dump. From first hand experience, I can attest that shit-compost buckets from the tree-sits are responsibly disposed of, off-campus.
"The UC administration was contacted within the day to investigate some staff members about their activities on their own time."
How do y'all know that tidbit of information???
How do y'all know that tidbit of information???
I am sorry to say that the problems with irresponsible disposal of human waste is not a single isolated incident, but a continuing pattern to this day. On Wednesday two individuals associated with the Treesit attempted to empty a five gallon bucket of feces, urine, redwood duff, sticks, dirt and paper into a toilet in an adjacent building. It created a huge disgusting mess that custodians had to deal with - once again cleaning up after people who supposedly care about their labor struggle.
Yesterday a gardener had to deal with several bottles of urine in a bag in a trash can that also contained rain water, risking potential exposure to disease. Bottles of urine have been found in campus recycling bins, and the list goes on. How can there be any respect or trust in a community with this type of behavior? There is no autonomy when people act like parasites, relying on the those around them to clean up their waste.
Any credibility such a protest might have is destroyed by immature vandalism (such as slashing Vapool tires) and this continuing pattern of extreme thoughtlessness and disregard of working people. These are not blows against the empire; this is a deteriorating and narcissistic attempt to get press attention. Please get it together or get out of the trees and quit pretending to care about anything beyond your selves.
Yesterday a gardener had to deal with several bottles of urine in a bag in a trash can that also contained rain water, risking potential exposure to disease. Bottles of urine have been found in campus recycling bins, and the list goes on. How can there be any respect or trust in a community with this type of behavior? There is no autonomy when people act like parasites, relying on the those around them to clean up their waste.
Any credibility such a protest might have is destroyed by immature vandalism (such as slashing Vapool tires) and this continuing pattern of extreme thoughtlessness and disregard of working people. These are not blows against the empire; this is a deteriorating and narcissistic attempt to get press attention. Please get it together or get out of the trees and quit pretending to care about anything beyond your selves.
Hey LRDP-resist folk!
I arrived at the tree-sit yesterday (Thurs 4pm 12/20), just after the Raging Grannies were accosted by the cops and a young woman (student who had just terminated her student status in the AM) who attempted to climb the tree- and was shortly arrested by two carloads of cops who arrived just before she ascended.
I didn't see anyone there as support. Has anyone considered that the cops might have set up surveillance cameras or have an ally or two in the surrounding buildings? Does anyone know who got arrested? Did the cops interrogate her? I'm surprised there was no community update or alert. Clearly this is the time when the cops will try things they couldn't get away with when others are around.
Is anyone updating the LRDP-resitance website?
PS: The Raging Grannies compositions and songs (written to the trees and the tree-sitters re. trees and the Bio-med developers) were great!
I arrived at the tree-sit yesterday (Thurs 4pm 12/20), just after the Raging Grannies were accosted by the cops and a young woman (student who had just terminated her student status in the AM) who attempted to climb the tree- and was shortly arrested by two carloads of cops who arrived just before she ascended.
I didn't see anyone there as support. Has anyone considered that the cops might have set up surveillance cameras or have an ally or two in the surrounding buildings? Does anyone know who got arrested? Did the cops interrogate her? I'm surprised there was no community update or alert. Clearly this is the time when the cops will try things they couldn't get away with when others are around.
Is anyone updating the LRDP-resitance website?
PS: The Raging Grannies compositions and songs (written to the trees and the tree-sitters re. trees and the Bio-med developers) were great!
For more information:
http://www.lrdpresistance.org
You should all be very disappointed in some of your faction. Thye sladhed the tires of all the vehicles in the Williams Tree Service yard the night of the clean up. How very "green" of them. Now we have extra tires in the waste stream and the pollution cost of the new tires.
You say you care about the environment and pretend to know anything about the future of this campus, the need to education your sisters and brothers, or your future sons and daughters. Perhaps none of you are students here, in which case, please leave (or fall, as the case may be) as you have no business dirtying up our environment, breaking laws, and taking the rights away from other individuals in your wake. If you are students, any of you, get that you would have no campus if your same actions were taken on this environment, this land, over forty years ago . . . and then, of course, you'd be crying that we owe you an education! Please, grow up, take your feces with you and get on with it. Do your homework, understand the evolution of change larger than yourselves, research the facts, be constructive, try responsibility and get off my campus - you have no right here any more than I'd have the right to camp in your back yard and leave my debris for you to clean up!
This info is outdated:
"Six of the ten UCPD departments use Tasers (UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Merced). UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley currently do not intend to purchase Tasers[3][4][5][6]."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_Police_Department
Tasering Still Shakes UC Campuses
"UC Santa Cruz police officers, however, do not carry Tasers.
“UCSC police officers have not felt that they have the need to use tasers to enforce laws and campus regulations,” UCSC spokesperson Jim Burns told CHP via e-mail, explaining that the “degree of crime” on the Santa Cruz campus does not warrent such tactics."
http://cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=193
UCPD have tasers at UC Santa Cruz too! Brian Hughes!!!
http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2007/12/19/brian-tazer.jpg
"Six of the ten UCPD departments use Tasers (UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Merced). UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley currently do not intend to purchase Tasers[3][4][5][6]."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_Police_Department
Tasering Still Shakes UC Campuses
"UC Santa Cruz police officers, however, do not carry Tasers.
“UCSC police officers have not felt that they have the need to use tasers to enforce laws and campus regulations,” UCSC spokesperson Jim Burns told CHP via e-mail, explaining that the “degree of crime” on the Santa Cruz campus does not warrent such tactics."
http://cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=193
UCPD have tasers at UC Santa Cruz too! Brian Hughes!!!
http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2007/12/19/brian-tazer.jpg
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