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Comic relief: The Berkeley tree-sitters finally come down

By Michelle Malkin  •  September 9, 2008 05:34 PM


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.

***

Protest Shooter documents the last days of the occupation.

Posted in: Berkeley

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Comments

  1. #1
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:36 pm, POTUS said:

    That’s one tree that’s going to take a long time to air out.

  2. #2
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm, navywife91 said:

    I wouldn’t want to have been anywhere in the vicinity when they came down. P.U.!

    I bet bear could have smelled them from his house.

  3. #3
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm, guitarplayer said:

    Hope someone brings a hose and lots of soap.

  4. #4
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:38 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    This is so sad - we can now officially add Muffin to the unemployment “rolls”.

  5. #5
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:38 pm, Master Shake said:

    Now to get the Mythbusters crew out there to recreate the episode wherein they tried to chop down a tree with a machine gun….

  6. #6
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:39 pm, walterc said:

    AlohaGuy said:

    This is so sad - we can now officially add Muffin to the unemployedment “trolls”.

    Fixed it for ya.

  7. #7
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:39 pm, John Ansell said:

    I thought I smelt something wrong with the air down here.

  8. #8
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:40 pm, FilmLadd said:

    Ironic to consider that this sort of thing is impossible to practice in collectivist states, the very form of government these people want.

    Try throwing feces at a Soviet-era KGB agent, the Saudi police, or a member of the People’s Liberation Army. See how far that gets you.

  9. #9
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

    Get these people a shower!

  10. #10
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm, walterc said:

    Can’t wait for the movie. It’ll probably be shown on Lifetime or W.E. After it’s one day run in theaters nationwide. /sarc

  11. #11
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:45 pm, ajmontana said:

    It’s mind boggling that it took them so much time for such an easy task.
    good grief. :roll:

  12. #12
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:47 pm, magicarb said:

    It’s mind boggling that it took them so much time for such an easy task.

    Well, no one had the guts to go out on a limb…

  13. #13
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm, Rogue said:

    I do love the campus’ solution. Forming another committee that won’t get anything done. Only a brain-dead liberal like the scum now out of the tree would call that a successful compromise.

  14. #14
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm, simcoe said:

    Dude, two years, wow, man!

    Don’t worry about how you failed…again. This time next month no one will even remember your name.

    And, oh, BTW, your expelled. Have a good day, dude.

  15. #15
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:50 pm, 31Bravo said:

    What, in two years NOBODY had a chainsaw handy just once? I bet I would have got about an inch in to the bark and she would have come scrambling down.

    “wait, WAIT! I’m coming down, I’M COMING DOWN!!”

    http://www.americanarmed.blogspot.com

  16. #16
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm, evilned said:

    This should have ended a week after it started. Simply go up to the tree, start a chainsaw and tell them they have 30 seconds to climb down.

    Then start sawing. :)

  17. #17
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm, ctmom said:

    Tell me these people don’t vote.

  18. #18
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:53 pm, guitarplayer said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm, ctmom said:

    Tell me these people don’t vote.

    I would, but I would be lying. Care to guess who they’re going to vote for?

  19. #19
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm, sonofdy said:

    —cue the circus music….

  20. #20
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

    guitarplayer said:

    Care to guess who they’re going to vote for?

    Cynthia McKinney?

  21. #21
    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:59 pm, tre said:

    Even the TREES were getting tired of them!

  22. #22
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:00 pm, libertyvista said:

    Why not just cut off the food supply and end this nonsense 1 year and 50 weeks ago.

  23. #23
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm, shooter said:

    “Four tree-sitters climbed down from an 80-foot-tall redwood tree…”

    Sounds like the beginning of a lyrical pot smokin’ song writers dream.

    I heard they were starting a new community organization.
    Calling it HIGHER WOODS FOUNDATION.

    (no puns intended)

  24. #24
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm, guitarplayer said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

    guitarplayer said:

    Care to guess who they’re going to vote for?

    Cynthia McKinney?

    Good one!

    I forgot about her. Did she manage to make it onto the ticket? I think she was trying to get into the Green Party. No matter. They can just write her in.

  25. #25
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:04 pm, rooster said:

    Heard that these loons cost nearly 20 million $$$$$ because of their stupidity in delaying cutting down materials for Us.

  26. #26
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:07 pm, aunursa said:

    A court injunction prevented the university from removing the trees. The associated case was resolved in favor of UC, and the corresponding injunction was finally lifted last week.

    In other words, by their actions the tree-sitters did not delay the removal of the trees, did not prevent the building of the student athlete center, and in fact accomplished nothing.

  27. #27
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:08 pm, John Ansell said:

    I was wondering where bemusedliberal came from. :lol: Guess he’s down from that tree and now posting here.

  28. #28
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:19 pm, GaMidnightRider said:

    Told ya’ll long time ago Kate and I could have took care of this and we would not have hurt any trees in the process…LOL

  29. #29
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm, sdillard said:

    As a California taxpayer, I am outraged at the utter waste of money (and air) on these self-centered twits. They are the product of an environment where no one ever tells them “NO” and MEANS it. UC officials are so touchy-feely now that they forget those of us who pay the bills in this state are TIRED of it. These idiots should have been trank darted 2 years ago.

    As a Berkeley alum, it makes me sick. They should have let the frat boys take care of this.

  30. #30
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:21 pm, denver republican said:

    I’m with Rogue: these idiots gave up “The Fight” for the formation of a committee? A “solution” only a liberal could love.

  31. #31
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:25 pm, txvet2 said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm, ctmom said:

    Tell me these people don’t vote.

    Well, not for the last 2 years.

  32. #32
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:26 pm, Milwaukee Mike said:

    I was going to ask if they could stay up there until after the election, but I realized that ACORN operatives already must have registered them to vote absentee.

  33. #33
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:28 pm, txvet2 said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:07 pm, aunursa said:

    In other words, by their actions the tree-sitters did not delay the removal of the trees, did not prevent the building of the student athlete center, and in fact accomplished nothing.

    You don’t understand. With liberals, it’s all about intentions, not results. Otherwise, how could they keep getting reelected time after time?

  34. #34
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm, swmntman said:

    …UC Berkeley officials agreed to create a committee that will oversee future campus development

    umm.. wait a second. The protesters claim victory because someone in Berkeley agreed to create a committee?? In Berkeley?? I thought the minute you came out of the womb you were automatically assigned to 3 or 4 liberal committees in Berkeley anyway. This was a victory?

  35. #35
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:37 pm, Doo2 said:

    My response to this would have been, bulldozer, meet tree. I’m glad I do not live in a major moonbat area.

  36. #36
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:38 pm, MES401067 said:

    From the looks of it they probably don’t have a problem with cutting little green bushes down and smoking them.Damn hippies.

  37. #37
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:38 pm, ProtestShooter said:

    Thanks for the links! I’m working on getting today’s pictures up. I got some great arrest video and some pretty decent shots of everything else. They’ll be up in an hour or so (the video’s already uploaded to YouTube but is still processing)

  38. #38
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:40 pm, docflash said:

    What did you do in the war Daddy?Uh, I sat in a tree for 2 years.
    What did you earn for that?
    Uh,no money but they created a new committee.
    Wow,what a hero,Dad.

  39. #39
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:40 pm, St. Louis Blue said:

    The nuts don’t fall far from the tree. :roll:

    Hope they got splinters in their arses on the way down. :evil:

  40. #40
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pm, Cicero said:

    Strong leaders always hurl their feces.

    Oh, wait. I meant tantrum-throwing children.

  41. #41
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:54 pm, JustAThought said:

    Why not just cut off the food supply and end this nonsense 1 year and 50 weeks ago.

    My question exactly. What a bunch of sissys to allo.. Uh, wait. Sissys in Berkeley? I’m so surprised.

    Come on Chancellor! Why didn’t you man up and put some of those fat, donut eating, do nothing campus cops to actual work. Should have done a very simple blockade of any and all aid for these squirrels (get it? Tree sitters, squirrels?) such as food and water. Try to pass the blockade for any reason, off to the fun house for you. Afraid of a law suit? Think it would have cost $2,000,000?

  42. #42
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:56 pm, rocketman said:

    Here are some Texas sized suggestions on how to remove protesters from trees:

    (1). Bucket of gas and a match. Start a betting pool on how many minutes a tree hugger can last in a tree.

    (2). Large bucket of redwood eating termites. Surround the tree fall radius with large red ants. Ditto on the betting pool.

    (3). Lightning sounding rocket (has fine wire spooling out behind it) fired just under the tree on a thunderstorm day. Forget the betting pool–10 seconds will result in divine fire.

    (4). Fence around the tree and turn loose a few large beavers inside the fence.

    (5). Wham-o slingshot practice on the crow’s nest.

    (6). Jalapeno pepper dipped toilet paper for the next crow’s nest resupply bucket.

    (7). Paul Bunyon lumberjack practice with double-edged axes.

    (8). Remotely controlled hornets nests around the tree.

    (9). A $1000. a day fine for two years for ignoring the court order to vacate the tree. This works out to a $730,000. total fine. If not paid in cash–make the tree sitters clean up Northbeach and Folsom Street areas at $10. a day until they pay it off.

    (10). Coat the tree trunk with bacon grease and turn a hungry California Grizzly Bear loose. Betting pool on whether the bear eats the tree sitter or gets sick of the smell and leaves first.

    Texas has better ideas than Beserkely, Kalifornia. Any other suggestions?

    John Bibb

  43. #43
    On September 9th, 2008 at 6:56 pm, travlinman said:

    Out here, we would have declared it to be squirrel nut season and opened fire.

  44. #44
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:21 pm, rakkasan said:

    I will bet that none of these tree-sitters will serve on the committee that they are going to get formed. I am also willing to bet that there is a department that already deals with future campus development. Takers?

  45. #45
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:26 pm, Concerned Citizen said:

    Crispila/Muffin 2012!

    That would be:
    Fruto Boy Crispila/ Dumpster Muffin

    I hear Fruto Boy is against amnesty, that pretty much guarantees John Ansell’s and Virginia Patriot’s vote.

  46. #46
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm, JohnS said:

    I hope they cut up this tree and send a piece to each one of the tree sitter’s with a note that says: “stick this up your a**!!”

    At least the tree will have a better fate, no matter what happens to it, now that these stinky scum are not climbing up and down it daily.

  47. #47
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm, ProtestShooter said:
  48. #48
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm, CoffeeGuzzler said:

    So sad the tree wasn’t set on fire before they came down. After all, what kind of subhuman species will throw feces on someone? I can’t say more or Michelle will kick me out.

  49. #49
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm, John Ansell said:

    John Bibb, I think you covered it very well. Of course, we should be playing patriotic music real loud when doing any number of your suggestion just to add that extra little bit of torment. :lol:

  50. #50
    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm, John Ansell said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm, ProtestShooter said:
    OK, today’s pictures are up:

    Wow great picks. Thanks for the great work!!!

  51. #51
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:05 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    Coat the tree trunk with bacon grease and turn a hungry California Grizzly Bear loose. Betting pool on whether the bear eats the tree sitter or gets sick of the smell and leaves first.

    Rather appropriate since the mascot of Cal Berkeley is the California Golden Bear.

    The funny part is that these trees were planted when Memorial Stadium was built in 1923. It was built to memorialize the veterans of WWI. Which is why I’m suprised that Berkeley allows the name to remain.

  52. #52
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm, ProtestShooter said:

    The funny part is that these trees were planted when Memorial Stadium was built in 1923.

    All but four I think, although one of those is a bay tree which only live around that long so it can’t be too much older. There’s one really old oak, unfortunately, and you can’t transplant them. Luckily old oaks are quite common still in the east bay hills so it’s not like it’s unique.

    But still, as much as that was a cool tree, 21 months and millions of dollars and it got cut down anyway? Imagine if they’d bought some land with that money and handed it over to the park or water district.

  53. #53
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:18 pm, CoffeeGuzzler said:

    On September 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm, ProtestShooter said:
    OK, today’s pictures are up: http://www.protestshooter.com/20080909BerkeleyExtraction/

    Thanks for the pics Shooter. I noticed one of the workers had a Stihl chainsaw in his hand. It’s so sad he didn’t demonstrate how good a Stihl saw works while those usless pieces of flesh were still in the tree. Also, I know there are bad police out there but I was amazed at the patience these officers demonstrated. It is amazing there aren’t more bad cops because of all the total B.S. they put up with on a daily basis from these morons that cost you and I more and more tax $’s everytime they do something for the environment.

  54. #54
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:33 pm, Rob said:

    This is one of my, ”I wish I was emperor moments”.. I would have built a fire under that tree and brought marshmallows…

    Clean up the gene pool and put some fear in the species feces…

  55. #55
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:42 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    Imagine if they’d bought some land with that money and handed it over to the park or water district.

    Good point, Shooter. How about doing something the liberals are always screaming about anyway; give it to the local elementary, middle, and high schools?

    Oh wait! Then next year they’d demand that they’re entitled to the same amount of money! Never mind.

  56. #56
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:44 pm, ErinF said:

    Those freaks must really smell at this point.

  57. #57
    On September 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm, mikepatr said:

    Maybe they saw these Emotional Hippies and realized how dumb they were.

  58. #58
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:09 pm, Boomer said:

    Too bad they didn’t just get an almond tree shaker and knock these feces throwing monkeys out of these trees a long time ago. I am just glad that I am not down wind of them right now. Ewwwwww!

  59. #59
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:10 pm, alaskangrizzly said:

    Those cops are much too kind. There are a million and one other things I would have recommended to get these criminals in custody and behind bars.

    But this is liberal utopia Bezerkly we’re talking about. If they had pulled a stunt like this in Texas I would have paid good money to watch the cops arrest them and it wouldn’t have taken them nearly 2 years to do it either.

  60. #60
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:16 pm, Rob said:

    There are a million and one other things I would have recommended to get these criminals psycho losers in custody and behind bars dead as a doornail.

    Much better…

  61. #61
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:34 pm, ProtestShooter said:

    Those freaks must really smell at this point.

    A lot of the ground supporters are absolutely disgusting - you can smell them literally 20 feet away. I can only imagine what the tree sitters smell like.

  62. #62
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:39 pm, ErinF said:

    They must have had to bring in some heavy duty fumigation. Imagine the carbon footprint the stinky little perchers must have left just with the BO factor.

  63. #63
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:53 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    A really good case could be made of Criminal Assault on these people IF anyone there had any stones. Same on the Berkley Police for letting the Criminal Assault continue–THEY should have pressed charges going around the City or County Attorney if necessary.

    We have seen how allowing these assaults to go unanswered to worse. Someone is going to kill a policeman or citizen and we will see stupid “Stop the Hate” candle light vigils.

  64. #64
    On September 9th, 2008 at 9:55 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    That was really a lousy proof read.
    Shame on the Berkley
    leads to worse

    Oh well, long day.

  65. #65
    On September 9th, 2008 at 10:32 pm, Kalifornia Kafir said:

    Anyone who works here knows that the protests never end in Berkeley. These folks are professional agitators. I’m just worried that they’ll come after my somewhat controversial research program next.

  66. #66
    On September 9th, 2008 at 11:06 pm, 31Bravo said:

    What really ticks me off is how often you see an officer trying to make an arrest and the scumbags friends try to pull him away. They need to be aware that that is a FELONY in the state of California. Back in the day even that dipstick with the bullhorn would have gone to jail, police work has really changed since I started.

    I would also charge them with assault and battery, Interfering with a PO and being stupid in a no stupid zone, with a lesser included offense of mopry with intent to gawk.<— Old joke among cops back in the day and I still don’t really know what it means. ;)

    http://www.americanarmed.blogspot.com

  67. #67
    On September 10th, 2008 at 12:55 am, USAMP said:

    I pray and hope that my next IKEA table would include some wood from this tree.

  68. #68
    On September 10th, 2008 at 12:56 am, GaryG said:

    It’s really too bad there aren’t enough lightening storms in Berkeley.

  69. #69
    On September 10th, 2008 at 1:49 am, emjem24 said:

    Yeah! Dumpster muffin will finally get a shower. 8)

  70. #70
    On September 10th, 2008 at 7:55 am, graysonret said:

    And to think this is a “place of higher learning”! More like a zoo, than a school…. Even though I would give them a “F” for education, I would have to give them an “A” for entertainment.

  71. #71
    On September 10th, 2008 at 10:31 am, CleanGuy said:

    Comic relief would be if they used one of those tree shaker machines to shake these nuts from the trees!

  72. #72
    On September 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am, wighttrasch said:

    They got out of the trees because they heard they could smoke a bowl down in Santa Cruz…

    medicinal, of course.

  73. #73
    On September 10th, 2008 at 11:06 pm, englishqueen01 said:

    Tonight I was talking with my mom. We got to talking politics and this story came up.

    When I told her one of the women evicted from the trees was named “Dumpster Muffin”, I thought she was going to have a heart attack she was laughing so hard.

    “I heard part of the story on the news, but when they said her name, I thought I was hearing things,” she said.

    Between fits of outrageous laughter, she joked, “That’s what you can name your next child!” Yah - she won’t let me name my daughter Hermione (a good, respectable British name) but she thinks Dumpster Muffin is hilarious.

    Gosh, I love my mother. :lol:

  74. #74
    On October 27th, 2008 at 12:31 am, Tantor said:

    I heard they lured them down out of the tree with a banana.

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