Thank Yous
via www.dailycal.org
Well, it is over. The tree-sitters came down voluntarily, avoiding a messy extraction and now some inane committee will be formed and summarily ignored (Edit: Apparently, that's not even true and Cal agreed to no such committee).
With the Oak Grove situation coming to a satisfying end, we thought it might be prudent to send a few thank yous the way of some highly underappreciated people these last many months: UCPD. They have been tirelessly dealing with the hypocrisy and insanity of the tree sitters and their support groups. You can find their contact information here, starting with Victoria Harrison, the Chief of Police and many of the officers working under her who managed this difficult situation. And Spazzy informs us that Berkeley spokestud Dan Mogulof's official email is DMogulof at berkeley dot edu. He put up with a lot, including personal attacks from the Berkeley Daily Planet.
Clearly, the protestors were looking for as much publicity and "police brutality" as possible to drum up support. UCPD managed the situation there in the most reasonable, level-headed manner, ensuring that not only was it always safe, but also the protestors never got any of their beloved PR (except for that stupid announcer dude, who is that guy?). While many fans gnashed their teeth and rent their clothes due to the lack of physical violence used against the protestors, UCPD realized that the protestors were a truly unimportant problem. To stoop to their level was to give them the very PR they needed and to lose the battle.
UCPD took the high road and, although frustrating at times (as the high road generally is), in the long run it paid off. I am sure they would love to read thank you emails from Cal fans. Also, thank yous are in order for Goldblooded who send many helpful reports back from the scene.
Also feel free to use this thread as a final discussion thread of the whole situation. Don't miss out on Thread 1, Thread 2, and Thread 3. Tons of great stuff in there. So, send your thank yous in to UCPD and GO BEARS!
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UCPD...
…should become consultants and earn a hojillion dollars giving seminars on how to deal with protesters.
This area...
shall not be known as the “Construction Site.” But now what will protesters do with their time?
by Montezuma's Revenge on Sep 9, 2008 1:36 PM PDT reply actions
what a coincidence!!
Now we need to hire some people to build some stuff around here. Where can we find cheap manual labor to dig this out?
I kissed Dumpster Muffin and I liked it. The taste of her hippie chapped lips.
alrighty kids, this has been hella fun all around. i can’t wait for the shots from the guys on the scene. keep on keepin it real and ROLL TIDE!
So glad it's over.
That was some fine police work by the UCPD. I couldn’t have imagined it going better than that. The scaffolding was excellent, the white-suit guys were amazing, and the officers kept everything under control. Nice work all around.
Can’t wait for some SAHPC construction!!
Can we get thank you contact info for
Treesitter Dan Mogulof? That guy has ice water in his veins and deserves a 2 month vacation.
by Spazzy Mcgee on Sep 9, 2008 1:37 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
we then need a thread for some appropo background music
I nominate – Bear Territory!
Twist, why do you ignore Aaron Rodgers so much?
What about the Thank You for him? None of this would have been possible without him.
"It's not my fault your team's so shitty" - every AL Manager to Bob Geren
TwistNHook gives a thank you to the UCPD for not storming in there twenty months ago like they should have (and no one would’ve given 1/50th of the damn they do now) yet refuses to acknowledge Aaron Rodgers’s 81 percent completion percentage from last night.
TwistNHook doesn’t care about football.
by BearsNecessity on Sep 9, 2008 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Don't forget the obligatory Madden thanks...
“This was a great victory for the Bears, and we need to celebrate the man who made the whole thing possible – Brett Favre. He’s a hell of a quarterback, and even in a Jets uniform, he inspires not only the entire team on both sides of the ball, but the fans, the entire UC Berkeley community, the fans, and the whole Bay Area. I… I think I love him.”
“Thank you Brett.”
I'd just like to add
That I LOVE the new Madden IQ commercials.
“Players just didn’t like to punt. So they’d get 4th down and 20 or 30, and they would go for it. That drives me nuts. That’s stupid.”
I'm still wondering why the Nets didn't draft Leon Powe.
by yellow fever on Sep 9, 2008 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Shoot a thank you to UCPD
It’s the least we can do.
Can we get a contest going for a new CGB tag line?
I’m happy to say the current one is NO LONGER RELEVANT!!
I think you just won the contest…
California Golden Blogs No Longer Relevant
I kissed Dumpster Muffin and I liked it. The taste of her hippie chapped lips.
Play nice
Remember that your personal tag line is no longer relevant either which by extension implies…I can’t say it, but someone else probably will.
How about
Vying for second place since 2002
AWESOME!
I miss the live feed and I don’t want to do actual work at work…
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah right...
Under the agreement, the university will form a land use committee made up of community members, stuidents, Native Americans and other interested parties, The panel will provide input on future UC expansion programs.
yep....it'll be meet twice a year
thing, go over the proposals for construction…
hmmmm, takes out 10 trees, but replaces a dangerous building full of nuclear wastes?
any of them
the university doesn’t build shit because it’s fun.
they do it because they need it. way cheaper to repaint those old rooms and run new wiring under the carpet.
I see you signed up on the 5th of this month. Forgive me for asking, but where does your allegiance stand?
allegiance?
as far as what?
safety on campus? I’m for it. if it means redoing the landscaping, oh well.
upgrading facilities for students, staff, etc? I’m for it.
NIMBY rich people on the hills? I’m not for them.
I’ve been going to Cal games since the mid 70’s and was a student in the mid 80’s. I’ve seen the truth that at Cal, really it’s all about coaching. When we have a decent to good coaching staff….we win and are a consistent top 20 program, regardless of facilities and ‘highly touted recruits’ and all that crap. When we have a less good coach, we suck.
by Rocksanddirt on Sep 10, 2008 7:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Why do you call it dangerous? There has never been an accident there. It is one of the most secure buildings in the country… It’s a ‘National Laboratory’ for crying out loud.
I'm more talking about
buildings on campus.
Etchevery (sp) used to have a nuclear reactor in the basement.
the old building just west of Latimer was where Lawrence did all his work. Some of the rooms there are radioactive to the point that they can’t be used.
The stuff up the hill is way less of a mess.
one of the first jobs I had out of school involved removing old chemical wastes from College of Chemistry buildings…..OH MY WORD….there was very dangerous explosive materials left over from before the ’06 earthquake.
My point is the University doesn’t throw things out, and doesn’t build things unless they have a need to.
by Rocksanddirt on Sep 10, 2008 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions
OIC.
Wow. I had no idea about all that stuff. A nuclear reactor in the basement? Sweet! J/K, I guess… Thanks for filling me in on some of the lesser publicized history. Very interesting stuff. No worries though, all will be fine… The last thing we need is the hippies trying to get into Berkeley Lab!
kinda side topic but....
should VH go on the ‘cougar’ list?
the agreement was a foregone conclusion
at least ayr has some sense to realize when he doesn’t have anymore chips to bargain, he just wanted the supporters to believe they had won something. total joke.
Also, think about the whole protest, then play Boots Randolph’s “Yakety Sax”. Enjoy.
My heart skips a beat every time I hear the band strike up 'Our Sturdy Golden Bear".
I'm back too!
I have a few good pictures, but more importantly GoldBlooded, sunbear(?) and I were interviewed by both the Daily Cal and an Associated Press reporter!
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
When Ayr announced it he said “a committee or venue” – venue sounds to me like they could just hold a public meeting occasionally and nod and smile and then ignore the input.
Anyway, my video’s done and uploading to YouTube. I have 700 still pictures to sort through.
Are you going to make a fanpost or post them here?
700 pictures? I am in awe.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I have no idea how to make a fanpost. I’ll put them on my website, and post a link here (main page is http://www.protestshooter.com/ ) and then we’ll see. But if somebody wants to canabalize my shots and make a fanpost out of them that’s cool by me as long as they leave my little credit on the bottom of the pictures alone.
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, you can click on the New FanPost link at the bottom of the FanPosts and do it there. But maybe if TheNick is doing one, he can take some of your shots and work them in?
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
That seems easy enough. Maybe I can put up a stub one with a couple of pictures and then direct them over to my stuff for the rest – I don’t want to try to recreate the whole thing in two places.
(narrowed down to the 90 best stills, video still uploading)
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Or when his FanPost goes up you can respond with a post that has all your photos and links and videos etc etc etc. That way it will all be saved in 1 easy to find place for posterity.
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Also, you wanted me to give 6 million dollars to an unidentified charity, right?
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
As long as I get the stump from the Grandmother Oak I’m good.
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions
http://www.protestshooter.com/20080909BerkeleyExtraction/
I’ll see about getting some pictures directly on here in a minute.
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
A rather terse BDP article:
UC Berkeley has forced down the last few protesters perched in the skeletal remains of the last tree in what was formerly the campus’s World War I Memorial Grove.
By 1:30 today all four protesters had come down from their “crow’s nest” which had been attached to the top of the tree trunk. As they descended, they were arrested by UC police.
Ten or twelve hard-hatted workers had been busy since about 9 a.m. erecting a scaffolding of metal pipes from below as helicopters circled overhead. By noon they had reached the tree-sitters’ platform.
Their activities were shielded from above by cherry-pickers draped with protective materials.
UC Police Chief Victoria Harrison and other officials were monitoring the action from a hanging basket suspended from a crane.
A large crowd,both supporters and opponents, were gathered outside the chainlink fences which university officials had erected around the ex-grove.
The university plans to turn the site into a gymnasium which will cater to 400 athletes.
University officials have said that donors are expected to pay for the extra $20 million which the protest has added to the cost of the project.
Reportedly, UC has agreed to participate in some sort of community forum regarding its land-use decisions in order to persuade the protestors give up.
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
aside from the words “gymnasium” and “cater to,” this is the most accurate thing I’ve ever seen written in the BDP (aside from the letter I wrote).
Uh, hello???
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
The university plans to turn the site into a gymnasium which will cater to 400 athletes.
A gymnasium? That makes it sound like all this was for a high school gym or something. Oh BDP, do you need a thesaurus? Or perhaps some facts?
As usual, I don’t know much about sports, but I don’t think a high-quality, competitive athletic facility that will greatly enhance the Cal Athletics Department = “gymnasium.” …but maybe I’m just being a nit-picker.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 3:16 PM PDT reply actions
they’ve long used “gymnasium” as a buzzword for what they think the project will be in order to paint the project as jock-intensive and trivial as possible.
stating the obvious, but
that is dumb.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions
We’re still waiting on the official statement by UC right? All this work I’ve been doing to catch up has kept me occupied.
All right this is late but..
I had three hours in between class so I went up to the stadium and took a bunch of pics with my cell phone camera. I don’t have any arrest shots and the pics of the trees came out bad. I need a DSLR badly












I was also interviewed by the LA times and I gave them an earful. I made sure to clarify how all the hippie claims about WWI memorial, native burial grounds etc were bullshit. I also said how the true hippies of the 60s would be shamed of these. And I also told them how if they wanted to be taken seriously they should protest clear cutting in the amazon or something.
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Sep 9, 2008 4:07 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
They already have an article up on the site
But it has no quotes or anything. Seemed like a quick report.
Hopefully they’ll have a comprehensive one with my quote in tomorrow. I don’t get the paper so it better be online
In other words, Go Bears!
Godwin's Law FTW

because cutting a bunch of trees on your own land is so much like the genocide of seven million jews.
by kleph on Sep 9, 2008 4:12 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I’m struggling to write a coherent reply after seeing this picture. It’s appalling to see how far these idiots will go.
Remember kids: drugs are bad mm’kay.
by CaliforniaBone on Sep 9, 2008 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions
"We're not taking you away. We're simply removing you from *here*!"
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Seriously. I was thinking the same thing.
As a Jew, I am offended. Scratch that….as a sane person, I am offended.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
YOU’RE JEWISH!?!?!?!?!
CBKWit doesn’t deserve you!
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
when you live a sheltered and protected life like these bozos have you tend to have zero sense of proportion for actual tragedies and things that matter in the world.
i live in a country where a woman like maria elena moyano made a very real protest against a very real horror and paid the price. then one of these idiots all full of leftist fevor comes down acts very stupid and gets caught and has the audacity to claim her rights are being violated.
these people are narcissistic trash that do nothing but make the world a worse place. in an odd way it’s good they are there in berkeley protesting this non-issue because they aren’t out causing worse damage someplace with their half-baked zealotry.
Oh my God.
Cry me a fucking river, you tree-humping low-lifes.
Get a haircut, a job, and a better hobby.
I declare 9/9/2008 Independence Day
The day that Cal was freed from the tyranny of the tree-sitter occupation, a reign where the whims of a few dictated the lives of the many — they plundered resources from the community, and suppressed dissent by flinging feces on all those who dared challenge them. But Cal would not stand for this; we declared, “We must liberate the Oak Grove!”
On this day, the tree-sitters capitulated and surrendered their treetop outpost. Soon, this monument to their last stand shall be felled.
Freedom for Cal came on 9/9/2008. May it be remembered forever.
by bears'R'us on Sep 9, 2008 4:44 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Fanpost Up!
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
at one point this afternoon
I saw 3 news helicopters hovering over campus.
Go Bears!
by RollOnYouBears667 on Sep 9, 2008 4:54 PM PDT reply actions
I have shots of four different helicopters.
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Protestshooter, your photos, comments and video are all awesome. NICE WORK! I rec’d the link to your site above, and I highly recommend others do the same. Thank you for letting me relive this morning/afternoon all over again.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Little more information on the deal
Looks to me like they’ve comitted to NOTHING – it’s up to the community, my ass.
Dear friends of the Memorial Oak Grove,
Today, after 648 days, the treesitters and the University of California reached an agreement that brought the Oak Grove treesit to an end.
The treesitters agreed to come down voluntarily, and University representatives agreed that they would make a public statement that the University will create new ways for the community to be involved in land use decisions going forward. What form precisely that will take is yet to be determined.
It is up to the community to ensure that the format is substantial, and that the community is involved in the beginning, brainstorm phases and on an ongoing basis with land use.
The University representatives and treesit supporters agreed that confrontations are in no one’s best interest, and it is a mutually shared interest for real cooperation to take place.
The supporters of the treesitters have made a request for bail funds… please visit:
http://oaksarrestees.org/
click on “donate”
or if you’d rather send a check, make it out to “Oaks Arrestees Defense Committee” and mail it to….
Oaks Arrestees Defense Committes
1610 North Normandie Avenue, #210
Hollywood, California, 90027
Many brave souls are in jail right now, including the four treesitters who surrendered to the UC Police (Huck, Mondo, Shem, and Ernesto), as well several ground supporters who were arrested today.
Also, Native American leader and organizer Morningstar Gali requested that UC Police honor a prior commitment they made to allow the Native Community to enter the remains of the grove and place tobacco at the stump of the Grandmother Oak once the treesitters come down. Thus far, UC Police have refused to respond to this request. If you agree that UC Police should allow the ceremony to happen, please call the office of Chief of Police Victoria Harrison at 510-642-1133 to express your views, or send an email to vlh@berkeley.edu.
Furthermore, treesit supporers want the stump of the Grandmother Oak returned to the Native community so that they may create drums and other religious artifacts. If you agree, please state this desire as well when you contact Chief Harrison.
The treesitters say that they sincerely thank you for your love, your time, your letters, your food, your water, your witnessing, your words, your presence. We know many of you contributed deeply to this campaign in many ways, and many of those contributions have gone unrecognized and unseen. So know that whether your participation was visible or not, the treesitters say that your support for them — and most importantly, for the trees — is deeply appreciated.
This email list is obviously winding down, although it is possible that something new that relates to community relationships with UC could be created. Stay tuned for that.
If you’re curious what ground supporters are up to now, you can reach them at 510 938 2109. And again, ground support says a way to help out those who have done so much is to visit:
Sincerely,
Your friends from the Oak Grove
I wonder why the mailing address for the “Oaks Arrestees Defense Committes” is in Hollywood? Discuss.
by RemorsefulBruinBabe on Sep 9, 2008 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m going to guess that’s where their lawyer’s based.
by protestshooter on Sep 9, 2008 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
1) The tree is down—you can see the stump in the update to my Treesitters Down FanPost
2) I have no idea. Hopefully something that will keep them away for a long time, but I doubt it.
Do you think the University could file a civil suit against them for all of the damages and expenses incurred? Again, I doubt they would, but since so many of them have been processed and identified, at least they would have names. I for one am all for ruining their lives and saddling them with a $5 million debt, which is what they’ve done to the school and all of us for the last 2 years.
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
finally found it...
Police booked Raul Colocho, 27; Armando Resendez, 20; Ernesto Trevino, 18; and Michael Schuck, 26, on misdemeanor charges of illegally lodging on campus property, violating a court order and trespassing. None of the men were students or affiliated with the university.
Yeah I saw that on the TV reports as well.
One channel…ABC I think…had a reporter out at 11PM at the Santa Rita jail. They said that the 4 were being held on bail for amounts ranging from about $10k to $40k.
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
It's the SAME GUY!
The Daily Cal reports,
[Michael] Schuck, who occupied an oak near Wheeler Hall under the pseudonym “Fresh” last spring, also had $22,000 in misdemeanor warrants relating to his time in the trees.
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
There are some AWESOME clips on the KTVU 2 10 o’clock news.
They put quotes around “Running Wolf”, they had students arguing on camera with Eric Eisenberg, they basically said that it was a worthless protest.
Also, Dan Mogulof, in the press conference, said that there was NO LAST MINUTE DEAL with the protesters, and the whole land use committee (which ZRW was claiming had oversight over the whole university) WAS NOT AGREED TO IN AN EFFORT TO GET THEM DOWN. Whatever is going to be formed (committee or "venue") was already in place or planned to be in place regardless of what happened today.
The whole bit about a last minute agreement and negotiations was, like the cake, A LIE.
Brilliant!
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
wow, that sounds like intelligent news reporting. on a local news broadcast. how odd and unexpected.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Yeah, with the exception of a small part of KRON 4’s segment, all of the news tonight was pretty good.
Nearly all of them had video of the scuffles earlier in the day (before I got there). It was interesting to see if from different angles, though.
On the ABC video I saw one of the grandmothers trying to stop a police officer.
I’m sure you’ve seen her before. I have pictures of her:

I’m sorry for the quality of these. They are photos taken in low light of my TV.
This is why you don’t grab cops by the collar. Look at the evil face she has…

And the wind up…

BAM!


She went down after that.
When you think of the university offering them amnesty way back, or offering them written agreements on Sunday, and then being refused because the treesitters thought they were fighting for something important and that they could hold out for more… I guess they have never seen a scaffolding tower before.
It's seriously too bad that there's no building or complex around that might have a large supply of sports drinks.
That is the women who said, out of the blue at the defensive training session in June “Look, Im just gonna put it out there, if people are throwing molotov cocktails, thats just not my thing, ok? Not going to do that.”
But grabbing cops? Thats different.
"Save The Oaks: Overthrow Capitalism" said Dumpster Muffin sanguinely
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com

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