Oak Grove Extraction #1

I went up into the trees before the Judges ruling on June 18. We thought that the University would come for us after that but they came the day before. It was crazy and we were crazy. We held off the extractors better than any tree sit I have ever heard of. With only 11 people in the trees all we had to use was our lives. Each and everyone of us could have died several times. We did what we could. We put our bodies on the line in the most literal sense. We didn't want to really hurt the extractors so we poured piss on them and then went to shit. It was gross and got on us too but even the hour it took them to put on protective gear and the fact that they started with one guy in each cherry picker and lots of climbers and had to go to three to each cherry picker (to hold the shields) and almost no climbers meant that they worked slower.

There was a whole defense of the lower canopy that I mostly missed. Down there the tree sitters did well and protected many tree sits during the 11 hour assault on the first day.

I found myself way up in a tree with extractors cutting one of the ropes that held me up. I was wondering why we do these things, risk our lives for a few trees. But it was never about 44 trees. It is about fighting for a better world for our children, about making a better social environment right now. We cared enough about the trees, about our friends and about life itself that we were willing to risk it all.

Thank you everyone who came out and was part of this campaign. Tomorrow is another day. The sun will shine and the oppressive forces will be there too. Support the Oaks at the 24 hour ground camp. If you can dream it then you can do it!