The USC-Cal matchup has a rival -- the university versus activists
perched high in a grove slated for destruction. All they are saying
is give trees a chance.
By Thomas Bonk, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 7, 2007
BERKELEY -- If the University of California is the home of campus
protest, finding the correct address is simple. Just follow the
messages written in brightly colored chalk on the sidewalk of
Piedmont Avenue alongside Memorial Stadium.
All Life Is Sacred
Value Life Not Capital
Trees = Oxygen
Love Your Mother.
When USC fans show up for Saturday's football game against Cal, there
will be plenty of reading material, and it's there at their feet.
Welcome to Protest Central, where the roots grow deep in the campus
soil. Protest is a well-known concept here, nurtured by the Free
Speech Movement of Mario Savio in 1964, the People's Park protest of
1969 and the crackdowns by UC system President Clark Kerr.
The latest version of what happens when protest and free speech
collide with a major university is brought to you by the tree-sitters
of Berkeley. They are such people as a barefooted protester calling
himself Shem, who spends his days on a platform high in an old oak
tree to protect it, so that the University of California won't cut it
down, or any of the other 41 trees nearby.
As many as 10 others camp out in the trees, trying to save them from
being axed to make way for a $125-million athletic training center
that the school plans to build. The proposed facility would adjoin
the football stadium, and its construction is a flash point not just
for the protesters, but also for Cal's popular football coach, Jeff
Tedford, who could opt out of his contract if a new facility is not built.
Shem can't remember how long he's been out on a limb, but he said it
doesn't matter. "It's tree time," he said.
Chances are, tree time is about up.
Joe McDonald of Berkeley, the lead singer in the 1960s band Country
Joe and the Fish, is a backer of the "Save the Oaks" campaign. But he
doesn't think it's going to end well for the tree-sitters.
"I think they're gonna pull 'em right out of the trees and slam 'em
in jail, cut down the trees and build a sports facility," McDonald
said. "Money talks, and so does sports."
The university's stance is that the tone of the protests has changed
and that at least some of the tree-sitting contingent wants conflict.
"This is no longer some quirky, Berkeley protest," school spokesman
Dan Mogulof said. "We plan on exploring every option to settle this
peacefully. There are some seriously misguided kids up there."
The university has offered to plant two saplings and one mature tree
for every tree removed.
"There are some real old-growth forests that need protection,"
Mogulof said. "This isn't one of them. This is a 1923 landscaping
project. What's happened is bordering on the absurd."
Naturally, the tree-sitters don't feel the same.
It's been 341 days since they decided to climb a tree, wrap
themselves in what they said were their 1st Amendment rights, and
plant themselves in direct opposition to the university's plans for a
state-of-the art training facility along the southwest side of the
84-year-old stadium.
Zachary Running Wolf of Berkeley is a Native American community
leader who aids and supports the protesters. He said the new building
wouldn't only eliminate the old trees, it would also be erected on a
Native American burial ground.
"How would you like it if they dug into the final resting place of
your ancestors?" he asked.
But the university remains unmoved by the rationale of the
protesters. In August, an 8-foot-high chain-link fence was erected
around the perimeter of the grove to create a buffer zone between the
tree-sitters and football fans.
The tree-sitters have had problems receiving supplies, but Shem says
whatever inconveniences he's gone through are worth it.
"It's the best thing I've ever done. It's the first time I've
followed my heart without conflict," Shem said. "We are the truth and
nonviolent. This is a spiritual conflict."
It's also a legal conflict. Alameda County Superior Court Judge
Barbara Miller may rule as early as the end of the month on a lawsuit
filed by the city of Berkeley, the tree supporters and neighbors who
want the training facility stopped.
The university expects a ruling in its favor, which would clear the
way for construction and lead to the removal of the tree-sitters.
Mogulof said the university always had the ability to evict the
tree-sitters because they are in violation of campus policy.
"The people in the trees aren't protecting the trees, it's the
judge's [pending] order that's affecting the construction project," he said.
Mogulof said he saw butane gas stoves in the trees recently but
hadn't noticed any this week. Running Wolf scoffed.
"They're worried about a fire hazard damaging the trees when their
intent is to destroy the entire grove? It's ludicrous," he said.
In the meantime, the protest continues. A ground crew is on duty
around the clock to make sure the tree-sitters' needs are met. Ropes
to the perches in the trees raise supplies, and the platforms are
covered by tarps for protection from the elements.
Wu, a tree-sitter positioned near Shem, said he's a sports fan and
has no quarrel with the Cal football team. But since Memorial Stadium
was built on top of the Hayward Fault, Wu doesn't want to see the
stadium crumble on top of the players. And he also doesn't want to
see the trees cut down.
"The issues are so clear it's ridiculous," he said. "People have to
step up and open up their minds."
Running Wolf said the university is liable for a class-action lawsuit
for violating human rights. He's so sure of his position that the
chain-link fence is wrong that he has written a new message in chalk
on the sidewalk.
Guantanamo Berkeley
In addition to his tree-sitting support, Running Wolf's days are
full. He is trying to recall Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Who does
Running Wolf see as a successor? Himself.
An equal for the pregame buildup for a USC-Cal game may be difficult
to recall. Kickoff signals the last home game of the year for Cal, so
the clock may be ticking for the tree-sitters.
But don't expect them to give up. In fact, USC fans and everyone else
are invited to a Save the Oaks community picnic Saturday afternoon at
the site of the tree-sitting protest.
If you need directions, just follow the chalk.
thomas.bonk@latimes.com
.
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