Oak Grove Celebrates Thanksgiving

These photo's show the people protesting the live oak trees being cut down, are living on a platform made out of wood, that required a tree to be cut down. This reminds me of someone protesting a deer being killed for its meat, and then eating a hamburger for dinner.

This tree saving protest is making a mockery out of the real tree saving protests taking place around the world. In Africa and South America they are leveling acres of old growth trees everyday, without planting any replacements. In the pacific northwest, they are cutting down "true" old growth redwoods which are hundreds of years old.

The trees next to Memorial stadium were planted by the university less then 100 years ago, and the university will replace the trees they cut down with more trees.

People are laughing at this protest, which brings a bad name for enviromentalist fighting to save true old growth trees.

From someone who protested in the 1960's, I am embarassed by the "cause" of this protest. If these people are really concerned about saving old growth trees, they need to head to parts of the world where real tree genoside is taking place, and it's not in Berkeley.

god I'm getting tired of you Republican computer geeks or whoever you are posting on indybay. you are entitled to your opinion, but if all you can do is criticize, when you aren't getting off your lazy ass and doing anything, you are just as much of a hypocrite as UC Berkeley.

Green spaces need protecting everywhere, all over the world. We are acting in the place we are at now, with who and what we have. UC Berkeley is a war-profiteer, it trying to design new nukes, over-developing the city of Berkeley, signed a $500 Million contract with BP to Genetically Engineer grass & corn and further deforest South America to plant their GMO crops.

If you can't see how the tree-sit in Berkeley is affecting the global environment, then you need to get your head out of your ass and realize how deep this University runs. They impact the entire nation, and the entire world with the things that go on here, and this tree-sit is exposing all of it. If you could just open your eyes and you heart, and stop living in denial, you might understand who and what we are dealing with.

But if you want to continue to live in blissful ignorance, continute to critique the noble efforts of dedicated community members rising up and put their body on the line to stand up against this corrupt corporate onslaught of greed, then you have no place in the movement, nor will your critiques be given any heed. If you want to help, visit the tree-sit and send up a bag of food or supplies, and see what happens.

limb, the combination of self-righteousness and naivete you've displayed above is breathtaking.

Why do you assume anyone opposing the protest is a "Republican computer geek"? I am neither.

"you are entitled to your opinion, but if all you can do is criticize"

you will notice that all the criticism is directed to this one issue, because there is a sizable support for the project in the campus community and beyond.


"Green spaces need protecting everywhere, all over the world. We are acting in the place we are at now, with who and what we have."

The problem is that you are not looking critically at the issues involved here, you are just jumping on this protest as an outsider without taking into consideration the needs and aspirations of the community this area belongs to.


"UC Berkeley is a war-profiteer, it trying to design new nukes, over-developing the city of Berkeley, signed a $500 Million contract with BP to Genetically Engineer grass & corn and further deforest South America to plant their GMO crops. "


What's needed more than anything in this world is critical understanding of the issues involved, as opposed to espousing dogmas. UC Berkeley does a great jpb in educating people from all social and ethnic backgrounds. UCB has to raise private fundings because the State voters want more jails and less taxes, state funding for higher education has dwindled substantially. the football program supports the education costs of about a thousand students, many of whom from underrepresented minorities. The picture you paint of UC is naive and misguided. (You're also confusing BP with ADM and Monsato.)

The issue here has nothing to do with BP, GMOs, it has to do with the safety of 500 students and staff that the new building is designed for, in order to move them from a seismically unsafe area inside the stadium. Conflating your cause with the fight against GMOs is at best naive, if not outright politically manipulative.

As well, you are sooo wrong when you say that UC is "over-developing the city of Berkeley". Higher density is good for the environment, it will mean less car traffic. UCB is very unique among American campuses in that it is a mostly pedestrian environment. Berkeley's population today is actually smaller than it was decades ago because of gentrification.

Opponents of development in Berkeley don't understand that they are contributing to urban sprawl and the removal of green space in the edges of the Bay Area. Those are the anti-social NIMBY homewoners from wealthy neighborhoods, one of the main supporter groups of the protest. They are completely misguided in terms of actual environmental impacts.


"If you can't see how the tree-sit in Berkeley is affecting the global environment"

No, I can't see it. There is no negative impact on the global environment from the removal of a hundred tree as 300 will be replanted in the area, or the construction of a building as a parking lot that sits north of the stadium will be turned into a pedestrian tree-lined plaza. There will be more trees in the area after the project. Granted younger trees, but their canopies will cover the area within a decade or two and their growth will absorb at least as much carbon as will be released from cutting the 100 trees.


"They impact the entire nation, and the entire world with the things that go on here, and this tree-sit is exposing all of it."

It's clear you're looking for the exposure here, but if you're really interested in protesting broader issues involving UC, why not do so without taking the campus community that actually supports this project as hostages? Those protest efforts aren't "noble", they are misguided and go against the will of the campus community.

How can you still characterize the construction of this new building as "greedy" when in fact it is ENTIRELY FUNDED BY THE COMMUNITY? It is a GRASSROOTS EFFORT.

I don't even know where to begin pointing out your ignorance in your post.

after reading it, I am convinced if people like you were running this city/country/university, we would be headed for ecological catastrophe twice as fast as we are now.

by the way, this 'outsider' was born in raised in berkeley, and graduated from UC Berkeley '05.

I know you post on indybay to get reactions from people, you are lucky I took the time to even try to convince you otherwise. I bet the indybay surfers are getting a big laugh at this exchange.

Berkleyan: Ignorance is Bliss!!!

thanks for providing some insight into your background, I assumed you weren't a current or former student because most opponents to the project aren't, my bad.

Feel free to critique any of my arguments in a constructive and respectful manner.

"we would be headed for ecological catastrophe twice as fast as we are now. "

It's quite unfair to equate support for new building with lack of environmental conscience. This building is essential to the campus community. There are some costs in the short term but over time the area will have more trees. If you dare to look at the issue more critically, you will see that the opposition is groundless.

Anyway, I invite you to volunteer for the UC Tree Fund, can we at least agree on that?