California: A new treesit in Berkley has already ended
Berkeley’s latest treesit ended Thursday, the same day it began, when
campus police signed a Christmas truce that spares—for the moment—two
acacias in People’s Park. Zachary RunningWolf, the same arboreal
ascender who began the lengthy occupation of the oak grove at Memorial
Stadium on Dec. 2, 2006, was the lone occupant of one of the People’s
Park acacias, which share space with a children’s playground.
RunningWolf’s ascent at People’s Park came after campus officials cut
down one tree south of the park’s stage area and posted a notice that
they planned to ax the other two to the east. According to the
plastic-shielded notice placed on a fence surrounding the playground,
one of the shoots of the acacia at the park’s western end had
collapsed Dec. 2 and the remainder of the tree was then taken down.
“Two other acacia trees at the east end of the park … have been
identified as potential hazards by UC Berkeley and consulting
arborists,” the notice declared.
“They are structurally weak and
subject to failure and collapse, and are planned to be removed in the
near future.” After RunningWolf ascended the branches Thursday and a
preliminary effort failed to dislodge him, negotiations began, and by
mid-afternoon, UC Police Capt. Guillermo Beckford had signed a
statement which was passed up to RunningWolf. “This is written
notification that if you will voluntarily come down from the Acacia
tree that you are in presently, that the university will NOT remove
these two trees during the holidays,” read the statement that opened
“Dear Zachary.” “If the stadium treesit was the longest urban treesit,
this was the shortest,” said RunningWolf Thursday afternoon.
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-12-18/article/31854?headline=People-s-Park-Treesit-Ends-With-a-Reprieve