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Photo credit: Protest Shooter

Ah, good old Berkeley. The “heroes” who trespassed for nearly two years to block development on the UC Berkeley campus in the name of saving trees have finally come down — after hurling feces and assaulting cops and wasting taxpayer money and educational resources. It’s a lawless spectacle we’ve followed here with a mixture of amusement and disgust.

Dumpster Muffin weeps:

Four tree-sitters climbed down from an 80-foot-tall redwood tree near Memorial Stadium this afternoon, bringing a peaceful ending to a nearly 2-year-long standoff that attracted national attention.

The conclusion of their aerial protest, a defiant stand on a campus known for radicalism, came after UC Berkeley officials agreed to create a committee that will oversee future campus development, a protest spokesman said.

UC officials declined to comment on the reported deal, saying they will talk later this afternoon about how the protest was resolved.

Before climbing down from a wooden crow’s nest attached to the top of the tree, one of the protesters, nicknamed Huck, pumped his fist and shouted, “We love you,” to cheering supporters below.

Police arrested each of the protesters when they climbed out of the tree top. The tree-sitters’ deal with the university did not include amnesty from criminal charges, said their spokesman, Erik Eisenberg.

More than 300 people, including students, supporters of the protesters and others watching out of curiosity, gathered on Piedmont Avenue to watch the end of the protest, which began Dec. 1, 2006 in an attempt to block UC from building a sports training facility where a grove of trees stood.

Only in Berkeley, kids. Only in Berkeley.

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Protest Shooter documents the last days of the occupation.