People's Park tree clearing coordinated with new Sproul grand opening

UC Berkeley has been in the process of removing trees in People's Park. The UC is claiming that is only removing trees that are sick, or are structurally unstable. The UC contracted an assessment by a Pleasanton (California) company HortScience. HortScience surveyed the trees, without inviting park volunteers or members of the media to witness their appraisal of the trees. Their assessment stated that 77 trees needed to be removed. After members of the public expressed disbelief that 77 trees were in such bad condition, the UC later claimed to Berkeleyside.com that only 29 trees would be removed. There was continued suspicion as to if 29 trees needed to be removed. UC Berkeley has since stopped giving an estimate as to how many trees will be felled before Fall semester begins.

No new trees are allowed to be planted in People's Park. UC Berkeley has already taken out 2 young trees. One tree was returned by the UC, and subsequently planted near the park. The other tree, a plum tree, was not returned. With trees being removed and others being severely pruned, there is increased sunlight exposure to the soil. There are concerns that other trees will dry out faster due to decreased shade in the park. The main UC arborist Dave Johnson has claimed that it is better in a drought to have fewer trees in in the park, so there is less competition for water between them. He suggested that distributing the wood-chips from the cut trees would prevent mass evaporation from the soil due to increased sunlight exposure. But the wood-chips from the trees are not evenly distributed around the park. A few of the still standing trees did receive mulch, but the bulk of the chips are in two large piles, both of which are not near any trees. Larger pieces of tree trunks and more substantial branches were hauled away, rather than left for use to line planter beds, or for use as seating.

In a recent decree, UC Berkeley has issued a halt to volunteer maintenance to the outdoor furniture. A small group of community members were going to volunteer to renovate the People's Park stage. The UC responded that the stage could only be painted, but not repaired. The UC's ban on repair work will also apply to benches and other features of the Park. If something breaks, it is to be removed, not fixed. The Park is being cleared not just of trees, but of the other fundamentals that make up a park. The 2015 Berkeley World Music Festival on June 13th will be the last event held on the stage before the UC intends to demolish it.

As explained back in 2012, by a UC Berkeley official, the UC wants to transform Telegraph Avenue from Dwight to Bancroft in conjunction with the opening of the new Sproul in this Autumn semester, which is a few months away. The UC took the opportunity to make slow gradual changes to the Telegraph area, mainly through patrols of the UC police department. The UC also has been working with the Telegraph Business Association, increasing funds to the TBID's "Ambassador" program, who act as street security and make reports on street activity and protesters. The "Ambassadors" also remove all public notices, fliers and stickers from Telegraph Avenue, decreasing communication on the Avenue. Changes to the area have increased velocity over the past year. The garbage cans on Telegraph Avenue are painted blue and gold from Dwight to Bancroft, marking out a boundary of influence. The UC has currently been making incursions into People's Park, gradually removing the foliage and preparing space for their development concept.

During the 2012 work session, a plan was outlined by a member of the Berkeley Design Association, that included clearing out sight-lines by removing trees. On the west end of the park in particular, the plan suggested clearing space for chairs and tables, that can be used by restaurants and cafes that want to partner with the UC. It was also explained to the public that additional space was going to be cleared for a "liner building". This presentation was described as only ideas, and the public was given the impression that there would be further public discussion. Since November 27th, 2012, the Telegraph Avenue plan has been moving forward without any real method of public input. The reduction in trees and other foliage matches the projected plan to set aside space for specialized purposes: reserved seating and tables for business partners, and clearance for a building.

UC Berkeley has been taking advantage of people's doubt in People's Park, a sense of doubt that the UC continuously stokes through misinformation and lack of transparency. The UC and the TBID (and their partners at the Berkeley Design Association) want the public to perceive user development as a broken philosophy and a lost cause. There is a narrative being pushed that People's Park must serve the economic growth of Telegraph Avenue, and that open space must be lost to the construction of a new building.

The UC is also taking advantage of people's fears. The UC police successfully used psychological tactics against Occupy Wheeler in the Autumn of 2014. UC Berkeley was able to make people afraid of their peers and of the fellow community members by creating dissent amongst protesters, disseminating rumors, making a wedge between student and no-student protesters. Then in December of 2014, UC Berkeley participated in violent actions against protesters and non-protester community members in December of 2014. Entire neighborhood were tear-gassed, and various projectiles were fired at members of the public - including one incendiary device that started a fire. People's Park was even clouded by tear-gas, which echoed images of 1969 during the Battle of People's Park. An investigator from the UCB police department made visitations to the homes and apartments of activists during the beginning of this year. The UC administration is using heavy tactics to create fear in order to suppress protest movements. In this period of anxiety, the UC is taking advantage of people's apprehensions to get involved in another protest action.

The UC is also using mass diversion to thin out the activist community. The UC has various tree cutting and development projects, which has people pulled in different directions. There are concerns in Richmond, over a proposed international field station which could have strong ties to the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). There is a separate protest in Albany, over the Gill Tract urban farm. There is another separate group working on proposed tree cuttings in the hills around the LBNL lab and surrounding land managed by the county. The UC is clearing out land at various locations at approximately the same time. The administration is counting on making people feel overwhelmed and weary of action.

Despite the UC's tactics, there still is a sense that the community spirit can rebound this summer. Even after the extreme police response to the last major series of protests, the administration cannot halt revolutionary action. There is a growing understanding that the climate conditions are worsening and that thoughtful actions must be taken. There is an increased awareness of the intersection between climate degradation, resource depletion and the social tensions that manifest as racism and other prejudices. More people, especially in the younger demographic, are open to idea that the health of the environment is of greater importance than the expansion of capitalism.

By attacking People's Park, the UC administration may be pushing too hard. People's Park could be a spawn point for a newly enthused ecological movement. People's Park is just part of a greater puzzle, with clear-cuts planned at various locations on and around UC managed properties. As the general public starts looking at the pieces together as whole. and as people recognize how many trees are being felled over this summer, there could be a mass response against the clear-cuts.

The UC's intention is to ceremoniously carve into People's Park as part of the lead-up to the Sproul Plaza grand opening for this Fall semester. There is a coordinated effort to increase control over the park, to increase control over the social scene on Telegraph Avenue, and to use the new Sproul to increase the UC's influence over the area. This attempt to increase management over People's Park and Telegraph Avenue is part of the administration's (and the mayor's) desire to tone down progressive movements as to de-radicalize Berkeley,