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Indybay Feature

Celebrating 200 Days of Tree-Sitting Resistance to UCSC Expansion

by ~Bradley (bradley [at] riseup.net)
On June 2nd, UC Santa Cruz students were joined by the legendary Raging Grannies of Santa Cruz and other community supporters in the celebration of 200 days of tree-sitting resistance to UCSC's 2005 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The gathering was called to fortify spirits, resupply the tree-sit, and plan for summer. Activities included a native plant workshop, songs by the Raging Grannies, discussions and a piñata.
plants_6-2-08.jpg
People reflected on the past and made proposals for future resistance to the LRDP.

For more information, please check out the announcement and follow the link to learn more at the LRDP Resistance website:

Gathering at tree-sit
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/01/18503417.php
§Raging Grannies
by ~Bradley
raging-grannies_6-2-08.jpg
§Raging Grannies
by ~Bradley
raging-grannies2_6-2-08.jpg
Raging Grannies sing an original song written for the tree-sitters
§Raging Grannies
by ~Bradley
raging-grannies3_6-2-08.jpg
§Insecurity Camera
by ~Bradley
camera_6-2-08.jpg
parking-lot-121_6-2-08.jpg
Bio-Tech Go Home!

"For most of the demonstrators, this was their first confrontation with power. Behind the bright colored bandanas that hid their lower faces, screened under signs and banners, refusing interviews, leaderless; ninety young people had come to proclaim their liberation from the organized madness of altering the natural environment for profit.

It was June 19th, 2008, the usual would-be “masters of the universe” were in town. Twenty-two thousand conspirators, Corporate CEO’s of polluting companies, chemists dedicated to turning pure foods into unnatural concoctions, various snake oil salespersons – all dedicated to owning, hoarding and selling the total processes of life – were enshrined in San Diego’s finest hotels for the annual convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, or BIO."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/22/18510062.php
§Tree-Sitter
by ~Bradley
tree-sitter_6-2-08.jpg
A tree-sitter hangs out on a cable between the trees
§Tree-Sitter
by ~Bradley
tree-sitter2_6-2-08.jpg
"Their voices ... carried a vibrancy, a tone of commitment to stretch body and vision, reaching out, extending their liberation from a corporate-owned world."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/22/18510062.php
§Grant Honors Ruth
by ~Bradley
ruth-grant_6-2-08.jpg
§Discussion
by ~Bradley
discussion_6-2-08.jpg
not biotech destruction!
§Tree-Sitter
by ~Bradley
tree-sitter3_6-2-08.jpg
Nov. 7, 2007: Standoff with Police as Activists Occupy Redwoods to Oppose UCSC Expansion
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/11/08/18458938.php

June 18, 2008: With Students Gone, UCSC Tree-Sit on Alert
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/18/18508566.php
§Kickin' it with Blumenthal
by ~Bradley
blumenthal_6-2-08.jpg
"Our spunky youth ... marched right up to the glass doors of the Convention Center. “Fuck you, don’t mess with our future” and “You assholes, messing with peoples' lives,” they spat at startled bio-tech CEOs and lackeys. Chanting “Bio-tech, go home,” they stood, eye-to eye, with corporate executives wearing Rolex Watches and designer clothes. Wealthy Sheiks and bought politicians from foreign lands trembled as they realized that there is, indeed, opposition to their ownership of the world."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/22/18510062.php
§piñata
by ~Bradley
pinata_6-2-08.jpg
§piñata
by ~Bradley
pinata2_6-2-08.jpg
§piñata
by ~Bradley
pinata3_6-2-08.jpg
§piñata
by ~Bradley
pinata4_6-2-08.jpg
He thought it was his inauguration, but that actually came several days later.

Workers and Students Demand a Fair Contract at George Blumenthal's UCSC Inaguration
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/07/18505046.php
§piñata
by ~Bradley
pinata5_6-2-08.jpg
§piñata busted
by ~Bradley
pinata-busted_6-2-08.jpg
"Youth in black are particularly threatening to the established order. Their vigil, their sorrow, mourns a humanity bought and sold, dreams defied, democracy subdued, community denied, compassion and sharing stunted."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/22/18510062.php
§Candy Supply
by ~Bradley
candy-supply_6-2-08.jpg
"Soon, the world will tremble; these youth, like millions of their brothers and sisters across the globe, in the Lacandon jungle or the slums of Caracas, will overthrow a corporate-owned humanity. They will not just tinker with their world, but will effectively and dramatically change it."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/22/18510062.php
§Warning
by ~Bradley
warning_6-2-08.jpg
§A critique of the BIO protest
by ~Bradley
Some of the photos above have captions taken from another article, about a different event, which took place in San Diego. A critique of the BIO protest, and the article I linked to, has been published by Scar Media Collective. Check it out.

BIO Protest Summary

"It is also important to note that romanticizing or just straight lying about what happened at any event is not helpful to any movement, which is trying to make concrete and sustainable change."

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/26/18511207.php
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by cal kills animals
Good work resisting the destruction of nature, as well as the scientific fraud of vivisection. At UCSC, UC Irvine, and here at UC Berkeley, there are vivisection laboratories under construction. Thousands of animals die each year for UC greed and lies.
by leaches
I'm sympathetic to both issues. No vivasection. But ya know what, cover your own issues. Write up alternatives to vivasection and post. Write about the fact that using cells from tortured animals is fraudulent science. There's a number of topics to cover and educate on. At any issue involving UC, you leach about the vivasection issue. Its old.
by Daniel
I never saw something like this against Greenwood, Denton or anyone else. But building an effigy of Blumenthal and beating is seems like Anti Antisemitism.

Shame!
by Dragon Lover
Common. Anti-semitism? They are protesting the man not the race/religion. I don't agree with the beating but that is like saying any dislike of any person who belongs to a certain race/religion is a dislike of the race/religion. An asshole is an asshole and race/religion has nothing to do with it.
by C'mon!
You couldn't meet a nicer guy.

I used to like IMC but now it seems like a pulpit for posers and borderline personalities (smashing ATMs, businesses and churches to kill God). And don't get me started on the tree sit.

Weak.
by Dragon Lover
I wasn't trying to say Blumie is and asshole. I was making a broader comment about how people are so quick to pull the race/religion card when someone is being villified. Never met the man. Seems nice enough from what I have heard. He inherited all this mess and the LRDP so to blame him personally seems a bit misguided.
by xxxxxxxx
This happened twenty days ago.
by Inbay Fan
Charming photos, great subject matter
by Ground Squirrels
Since November 2007, the UCSC tree-sit has thwarted plans to build a planned Biomedical facility. Supported by students, faculty, staff, and the Santa Cruz community, the tree-sit stands in direct opposition to UCSC expansion plans. Historically, UCSC has begun logging during student breaks. If you care about the upper campus forest, come help the tree-sitters.

We stand to lose a lot. Destruction of 120 acres of lush upper campus forest. Addition of 4500 more students to a town that can barely support the last increase of 5000 more students. All this to expand an institution that is already devaluing its own environmental values and commitment to an undergraduate liberal arts education.

Right now, all that stands between the UC administrators and the upper campus forest is you and I.

The UCSC tree-sit needs support in the form of food, water, donations, ground support, publicity, documentation, and legal support. Contact stopucsc [at] riseup.net to see how you can help.

If you want to support the greater resistance movement to UCSC expansion, plan your own solidarity action collaborating with allies with similar passions.

We can and will win. The forest depends on it.

Love,
The Ground Squirrels
stopucsc [at] riseup.net
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