BLACKFIRE CONCERT & MARCH TO PROTECT SACRED SITES AND UC BERKELEY OAK GROVE!!

BLACKFIRE CONCERT &; CANDLE LIGHT MARCH TO PROTECT SACRED SITES &;
DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS!! SUPPORT LOCAL EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE MEMORIAL
OAK GROVE AND NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTRAL REMAINS!!

BRING CANDLES! BRING BIKES! BRING FRIENDS! DRESS IN LAYERS!

THE MEMORIAL OAK GROVE IS AN AREA CONSIDERED SACRED BY THE OHLONE.
JUDGE MAKES CRITICAL DECISION ON TREE-SITTERS PROTECTING THE GROVE
THIS WEEK!! UNIVERSITY OF BERKELEY HAS PLANS TO PUT A GYM THERE.

The struggle at UC Berkeley is a microcosm of a growing global
movement to protect Sacred Sites and Ancestral Remains. Our peaceful
protest makes clear connections between the Native American, social
justice, and environmental movements. We resist as UC Berkeley
desecrates ancestral remains both inside The Hearst Museum and outside
in the Oak grove. By marching we show our solidarity with those
taking direct action and putting their bodies on the line to protect
sacred sites and prove that no repressive fences or museum walls will
prevent us from defending human rights.

THE MEMORIAL OAK GROVE TREE SIT is by far the longest ongoing urban
tree-sit protest in history, now approaching it's one year anniversary
on December 2nd. The Oak Grove is in an area considered sacred by the
Ohlone. The oak grove has not been excavated, but it's likely that an
Ohlone village was in the general area, said Malcolm Margolin, author
of "The Ohlone Way" and publisher of Heyday Books in Berkeley. The
University's environmental impact report says "there's a high
likelihood of archaeological sites within the site boundaries." A
partial skeleton and 18 Native American burials was unearthed and
removed during stadium construction in 1923. Corrina Gould, an
Ohlone Indian from Berkeley, said, "These are sacred sites for the
Ohlone. We are still living. We are not in the past."

THIS IS A CRITICAL MOMENT IN THE STRUGGLE, Judge Barbara Miller's
decision concerning the legality of UC Berkeley's plans should come
down Wednesday of this week. The Cal Berkeley football home games are
over so the only reason UC Berkeley has for the repressive perimeter
fence is the violent removal of the tree-sitters. UC Police are
preparing the violent extraction of all the tree sitters. UCB have
begun building another larger repressive fence around the grove and as
the Oct 30th an SF Chronicle article reported, "Cal can boot all
tree-sitters, judge says".
Judge Barbara Miller is expected to return her decision any day in the
lawsuits against the stadium expansion project. UC Berkeley officials
have stated that no matter what Judge Miller decides the University
will try to end the tree-sit protest.

Wounded Knee Deocampo from the Vallejo Intertribal Council, said, "It
is time to put a halt to digging up sacred sites. We would never dig
up your cemeteries. These are sacred places as much as the pyramids of
Egypt."

A NIGHT MARCH IS A GOOD IDEA because its fun, it shows that people
will support the treesitters whenever (day or night) especially as the
university
increases their threats against the treesitters. This march will also
stop to demonstrate in front of the Phoebe Hearst Museum, where the
remains of over 13,000 Native Americans are stored in basement drawers
and boxes. American Indian remains are protected by federal law, which
says that descendants and the local Native American Heritage
Commission must oversee any remains removal. Public officials must
redress the longstanding injustice that allows Museums and scientists
to keep huge collections of Native American remains and conduct
research that violates tribal religious beliefs.

More Information
http://www.saveoaks.com

For additional information on the Ancestral Remains/UCB NAGPRA issue,
visit http://nagpra-ucb-faq.blogspot.com and
http://nagpra-ucb.blogspot.com .


Quotes Are From the SF Chronicle 2/21/07