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Press Release: Police Attempt to Infiltrate Tree-sit
Thursday night police attempted to spy on the UCSC tree-sit and were foiled when protesters learned of their plans. A student saw a man in his early 20's get out of a police car and get on a bike heading towards the tree-sit. The student then called friends at the tree-sit, who confronted the man and asked him to leave.
Jennifer Charles
(831) 430-6791
LRDPaction.media [at] gmail.com
Press Release: Police Attempt to Infiltrate Tree-sit
10/09/07
Santa Cruz, Ca-- Thursday night police attempted to spy on the UCSC tree-sit and were foiled when protesters learned of their plans. A student saw a man in his early 20's get out of a police car and get on a bike heading towards the tree-sit. The student then called friends at the tree-sit, who confronted the man and asked him to leave.
Later that evening, at 8:45, police announced to the tree-sit supporters that they were there illegally and ordered them to disperse. In response, dozens of supporters arrived and a Students Against War (SAW) Teach-in moved its location to the base of the tree-sit. Many supporters said that they would sleep at the site in case the police decided to attack again.
These incidents followed the launch of a tree-sit on Wednesday in opposition to UCSC's Long Range Development Plan, which calls for the addition of 4,500 students to campus and the destruction of 120 acres of forest. At a rally on Wednesday, non-violent protesters were
pepper-sprayed and beaten with batons by police while attempting to get supplies to tree-sitters who had spent a long night with no food or water.
The violence on the part of the police was in keeping with the UC's history of dealing with non-violent protesters. In 2006, under then acting-Chancellor Blumenthal, police brutalized students with pepper-spray and batons during a campus visit by the UC Regents. Students were also attacked during the infamous Tent University event of 2005, when police used pressure point pain compliance methods to remove students who were sitting on the ground with arms linked.
"This is typical UCSC police behavior," said Jennifer Charles, a media spokesperson for the tree-sit. "It doesn't surprise me that the police are trying to spy on us now."
Students and community members have claimed the space under the tree-sit as their own, decorating the pavement and building structures out of fallen redwood limbs. Friday night, they will hold a celebration at 7pm in honor of their successful defense of the space and the future of LRDP opposition.
Tree-Sit Celebration
7pm, Tree-Sit Liberated Zone
Directions: From the base of UCSC, take Coolidge to Hagar, turn left. Make a left on McLaughlin. The Liberated Zone is on the left-hand side after the bridge, across from engineering.
(831) 430-6791
LRDPaction.media [at] gmail.com
Press Release: Police Attempt to Infiltrate Tree-sit
10/09/07
Santa Cruz, Ca-- Thursday night police attempted to spy on the UCSC tree-sit and were foiled when protesters learned of their plans. A student saw a man in his early 20's get out of a police car and get on a bike heading towards the tree-sit. The student then called friends at the tree-sit, who confronted the man and asked him to leave.
Later that evening, at 8:45, police announced to the tree-sit supporters that they were there illegally and ordered them to disperse. In response, dozens of supporters arrived and a Students Against War (SAW) Teach-in moved its location to the base of the tree-sit. Many supporters said that they would sleep at the site in case the police decided to attack again.
These incidents followed the launch of a tree-sit on Wednesday in opposition to UCSC's Long Range Development Plan, which calls for the addition of 4,500 students to campus and the destruction of 120 acres of forest. At a rally on Wednesday, non-violent protesters were
pepper-sprayed and beaten with batons by police while attempting to get supplies to tree-sitters who had spent a long night with no food or water.
The violence on the part of the police was in keeping with the UC's history of dealing with non-violent protesters. In 2006, under then acting-Chancellor Blumenthal, police brutalized students with pepper-spray and batons during a campus visit by the UC Regents. Students were also attacked during the infamous Tent University event of 2005, when police used pressure point pain compliance methods to remove students who were sitting on the ground with arms linked.
"This is typical UCSC police behavior," said Jennifer Charles, a media spokesperson for the tree-sit. "It doesn't surprise me that the police are trying to spy on us now."
Students and community members have claimed the space under the tree-sit as their own, decorating the pavement and building structures out of fallen redwood limbs. Friday night, they will hold a celebration at 7pm in honor of their successful defense of the space and the future of LRDP opposition.
Tree-Sit Celebration
7pm, Tree-Sit Liberated Zone
Directions: From the base of UCSC, take Coolidge to Hagar, turn left. Make a left on McLaughlin. The Liberated Zone is on the left-hand side after the bridge, across from engineering.
For more information:
http://lrdpresistance.org
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Who was the 'infiltrator'? Did anyone get a photo? Can we get a description so we might be able to figure this out?
What did the 'infiltrator want'? To figure out the names of the tree-sitters so that the UC could get a court order against them like they've tried to do against the Berkeley tree-sitters?
What's the law on undercovers vs. 'plain clothed' vs. spying vs. infiltration? When does police activity go beyond immoral to illegal activity?
This isn't the first time...
see:
cop watch: Brian Hughes at LRDP Protest
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/11/08/18459337.php
UCSC Academic Senate Releases Tent University Report That Includes Anonymous Spy Testimony
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/02/09/42132.php
What did the 'infiltrator want'? To figure out the names of the tree-sitters so that the UC could get a court order against them like they've tried to do against the Berkeley tree-sitters?
What's the law on undercovers vs. 'plain clothed' vs. spying vs. infiltration? When does police activity go beyond immoral to illegal activity?
This isn't the first time...
see:
cop watch: Brian Hughes at LRDP Protest
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/11/08/18459337.php
UCSC Academic Senate Releases Tent University Report That Includes Anonymous Spy Testimony
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/02/09/42132.php
You guys are dumb asses, I drive an old cop car as a joke (2001model). My tires were slashed that night by protestors. The car is obviously not a cop car when you are up close to slash the tires. The door as f-ing spray painted black to cover the white...i mean come on... It cost me $400, which insurance is not covering...thanks guys. What kind of activists are that stupid? You guys need to learn to not spread fear and shit and use that to rally support just like the government. Get your facts straight, im no cop, im a stoner
too bad that wasn't a cop, but just a UNIVERSITY OF SANTA CRUZ STUDENT driving an old cop car... "typical UCSC police behavior" my ass!!! Seriously people, just because the university is encroaching on your trees doesn't mean you should assume the worst or most dramatic story.
This "journalist" should do his research before he goes online with fictitious stories. I think fox news has a job for people like you....
This "journalist" should do his research before he goes online with fictitious stories. I think fox news has a job for people like you....
Cops (and police supporters) regularly post here. So when one reads comments that automatically seem to dismiss any police misconduct as paranoid rantings, it gives one pause.
A public records request on almost any controversy over the last several years will net you a sheaf of printouts of indymedia/indybay articles (including comments). Cops monitor IMC daily and often use it as a backchannel info source and disinformation channel.
The undercover/plainclothes cop is an absolutely common police tactic -- from their point-of-view, barely worthy of note, just another information and intelligence source, like monitoring webpages, direct inquiries, and watching news reports including indymedia.
So far from paranoid rantings, any suspicions of undercover activity within a resistance movement is more likely than not correct.
A public records request on almost any controversy over the last several years will net you a sheaf of printouts of indymedia/indybay articles (including comments). Cops monitor IMC daily and often use it as a backchannel info source and disinformation channel.
The undercover/plainclothes cop is an absolutely common police tactic -- from their point-of-view, barely worthy of note, just another information and intelligence source, like monitoring webpages, direct inquiries, and watching news reports including indymedia.
So far from paranoid rantings, any suspicions of undercover activity within a resistance movement is more likely than not correct.
This whole affair seems like insanity by consensus. Protesting building a biomedical research building on what has basically been a parking lot for 30 years seems like a bad choice of battle.
You were doing good work on military recruitment a few years back (to the point of being routinely lambasted by FOX - a major badge of honor), but I think you got hooked on getting publicity and have now been trying to get it at the expense of having an issue. This is pretty much the defination of narcissism.
You should put your energy toward ensuring that plans for inevitable growth will reduce the campus's overall environmental impact and not try to stop growth by blocking the construction of one science building. Essentially the alpine feeling of he campus is a huge environmental liability, because we have to move people around all those trees. We need density - high-rise student housing built on campus, denser in-fill of buildings inexisting spaces (and, yes, in parking lots).
And finally to those people scrawlling, "F*&k the LRDP" on bathroom walls and bridges (making a beautiful campus an ugly place to live and study), go f*&k yourselves.
You were doing good work on military recruitment a few years back (to the point of being routinely lambasted by FOX - a major badge of honor), but I think you got hooked on getting publicity and have now been trying to get it at the expense of having an issue. This is pretty much the defination of narcissism.
You should put your energy toward ensuring that plans for inevitable growth will reduce the campus's overall environmental impact and not try to stop growth by blocking the construction of one science building. Essentially the alpine feeling of he campus is a huge environmental liability, because we have to move people around all those trees. We need density - high-rise student housing built on campus, denser in-fill of buildings inexisting spaces (and, yes, in parking lots).
And finally to those people scrawlling, "F*&k the LRDP" on bathroom walls and bridges (making a beautiful campus an ugly place to live and study), go f*&k yourselves.
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