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UC Berkeley Begins Destruction of Berkeley Oak Grove and Shell Mound Site
UC Berkeley Begins Destruction of Native American Sacred Site
Indigenous Peoples Decry Human Rights Abuses. Tree Sitters Call for Support
Indigenous Peoples Decry Human Rights Abuses. Tree Sitters Call for Support
September 5th, 2008
Contact:
Marcella Sadlowski (562) 472-5276
UC Berkeley Begins Destruction of Native American Sacred Site
Indigenous Peoples Decry Human Rights Abuses. Tree Sitters Call for Support
______________________________________________________________________
BERKELEY, CA- University of California police moved in yesterday morning and cut many limbs and branches of a Redwood tree and cut down twelve Oak trees that have been protected by tree-sitting protesters for the last 21 months. Five people were arrested as they peacefully pleaded with arborists not to destroying the trees of the Memorial Oak Grove deemed a sacred burial site to Ohlone Indians.
Twelve trees were cut today and the University says they will continue cutting 46 over the weekend. Four protesters remain in a single Redwood tree in the center of the grove. Arborists trimmed most of the branches from the Redwood tree occupied by the four remaining tree sitters. Cutting the branches made it virtually impossible for the tree sitters to move from tree to tree. A spokesman for the campus said that within three days, the University would no longer honor its agreement to ensure they had adequate nutrition and water. The tree sitters currently only have one liter of water to share between four people as they sit in 90 degree heat.
The Memorial Oak Grove is regarded as a sacred place to Native American people and is documented as such by UC Berkeley's own Anthropology Department. There is evidence of 2 shell mounds sites in the area, with 19 ancestral remains found within them. Along with UC Berkeley's attempt to develop on a sacred place, they are guilty of housing over 17,000 sacred remains and objects. UCB currently holds the largest human remains collection in the United States of which it is not in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
"I brought my five year old daughter and two month old son out today to bear witness to the massacre of sacred life," said Morning Star Gali of the Pit River Tribe and co-chair of Advocates to Protect Sacred Sites. "The cops responded by yelling to move them behind the median. I asked if they would stand by as complacent if it was their grandmother's gravesites being desecrated. I want my children here to witness the destruction of sacred life and how important it is to protect it. I wanted them to witness the cops, arborists and UC Officials that participated and cheered as the trees came crashing down from bulldozers. This exhibits the ongoing Human Rights abuses committed by the University. They refuse to comply with NAGPRA by holding 13,000 of our ancestors remains hostage, they illegally reorganized NAGPRA with no tribal consultation and now they continue to desecrate sacred burial grounds."
The Memorial Grove is a native Coast Live Oak ecosystem. Native oaks support the most complex terrestrial ecosystems in California. The California Native Plant Society CNPS has stated that the Memorial Oak Grove is "an important gene bank for the Coast Live Oak." Every one of the oaks in the grove should be protect by law and the Berkeley Coast Live Oak moratorium forbids cutting mature Coast Live Oaks in Berkeley. UC refuses to recognize the law. The grove is also part of a National Historic Site. The Stadium and landscape is a memorial to Californians who died in World War I.
The tree sitters are urging people to come and show support for the trees and bear witness to the University of California's blatant disregard to sacred sites and native ecosystems.
--
Morning Star Gali
http://www.ifhurbanrez.org
Contact:
Marcella Sadlowski (562) 472-5276
UC Berkeley Begins Destruction of Native American Sacred Site
Indigenous Peoples Decry Human Rights Abuses. Tree Sitters Call for Support
______________________________________________________________________
BERKELEY, CA- University of California police moved in yesterday morning and cut many limbs and branches of a Redwood tree and cut down twelve Oak trees that have been protected by tree-sitting protesters for the last 21 months. Five people were arrested as they peacefully pleaded with arborists not to destroying the trees of the Memorial Oak Grove deemed a sacred burial site to Ohlone Indians.
Twelve trees were cut today and the University says they will continue cutting 46 over the weekend. Four protesters remain in a single Redwood tree in the center of the grove. Arborists trimmed most of the branches from the Redwood tree occupied by the four remaining tree sitters. Cutting the branches made it virtually impossible for the tree sitters to move from tree to tree. A spokesman for the campus said that within three days, the University would no longer honor its agreement to ensure they had adequate nutrition and water. The tree sitters currently only have one liter of water to share between four people as they sit in 90 degree heat.
The Memorial Oak Grove is regarded as a sacred place to Native American people and is documented as such by UC Berkeley's own Anthropology Department. There is evidence of 2 shell mounds sites in the area, with 19 ancestral remains found within them. Along with UC Berkeley's attempt to develop on a sacred place, they are guilty of housing over 17,000 sacred remains and objects. UCB currently holds the largest human remains collection in the United States of which it is not in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
"I brought my five year old daughter and two month old son out today to bear witness to the massacre of sacred life," said Morning Star Gali of the Pit River Tribe and co-chair of Advocates to Protect Sacred Sites. "The cops responded by yelling to move them behind the median. I asked if they would stand by as complacent if it was their grandmother's gravesites being desecrated. I want my children here to witness the destruction of sacred life and how important it is to protect it. I wanted them to witness the cops, arborists and UC Officials that participated and cheered as the trees came crashing down from bulldozers. This exhibits the ongoing Human Rights abuses committed by the University. They refuse to comply with NAGPRA by holding 13,000 of our ancestors remains hostage, they illegally reorganized NAGPRA with no tribal consultation and now they continue to desecrate sacred burial grounds."
The Memorial Grove is a native Coast Live Oak ecosystem. Native oaks support the most complex terrestrial ecosystems in California. The California Native Plant Society CNPS has stated that the Memorial Oak Grove is "an important gene bank for the Coast Live Oak." Every one of the oaks in the grove should be protect by law and the Berkeley Coast Live Oak moratorium forbids cutting mature Coast Live Oaks in Berkeley. UC refuses to recognize the law. The grove is also part of a National Historic Site. The Stadium and landscape is a memorial to Californians who died in World War I.
The tree sitters are urging people to come and show support for the trees and bear witness to the University of California's blatant disregard to sacred sites and native ecosystems.
--
Morning Star Gali
http://www.ifhurbanrez.org
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I''m a little confused about the conflicting reports as to whether or not the oak grove was a Native American burial ground. If it was, why wasn't there more of an outcry in the Native American community? The only Native American I've seen at the grove in the news is Zachary Running Wolf who frankly seems to have his own political agenda and has made many statements of questionable authenticity.
For two years their has not been any one saying anything about this before! Now they come out after the fact. Well we took away all the Indians homes when America moved in from Europe. And now have Casino's ???
This article is a lie. "peacefully pleaded with arborists" I was there. The arborists were peaceful. The protesters broke the law and attacked police. The arrests were fully warranted.
In a community rich with so many environmental orgs., non-profits, resources, etc. where were all the activists and eco-defenders yesterday? Where was Ruckus and all the trainers that have participated in their tree climbing skill-shares?
If the statement, "The only Native American I've seen at the grove" is true that you obviously haven't been at the grove very much. Are you going by stereotypical assumptions of what a "real Native American" looks like?
There were numerous ceremonies and prayer gatherings out at the grove led by Native people. Last year's shellmound walk and The Longest Walk both started out at the oak grove. There were many native people at the grove yesterday that brought a drum and sang prayer songs to the trees.
Come out tomorrow at 2 PM to see some "real Native Americans".
If the statement, "The only Native American I've seen at the grove" is true that you obviously haven't been at the grove very much. Are you going by stereotypical assumptions of what a "real Native American" looks like?
There were numerous ceremonies and prayer gatherings out at the grove led by Native people. Last year's shellmound walk and The Longest Walk both started out at the oak grove. There were many native people at the grove yesterday that brought a drum and sang prayer songs to the trees.
Come out tomorrow at 2 PM to see some "real Native Americans".
Thanks for the info
Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918
119. Trees
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, 5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. 10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
119. Trees
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, 5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. 10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
The name of the game is money in this stinking, rotten, backward, capitalist society where the profit motive is the primary goal and law. One of the UC Regents, the unelected gang of thugs and profiteers that governs UC, is Richard Blum, the husband of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein. This is the Democrats and Republicans together, greasing their palms on this construction project for allegedly 400 athletes in a rich folks' academic finishing school of 34,000 students on the Berkeley campus where there are more than enough athletic facilities for students who are mostly primarily concerned with academic excellence. If this outrage is privately funded, those funds are tax writeoffs, which means we, the workingclass who pay most of the taxes, will pay for this horror, and as usual, receive nothing in return. Only the rich benefit from this money-making racket, while the beautiful trees that held a hill in place, and added a great deal to the beauty of the area, are destroyed by greed. Only a serious organized labor movement can put an end to the profit motive that is the cause of all our grief. Help the Boeing workers on strike now. Vote for pro-labor and pro-environment candidates like Cynthia McKinney and Gloria LaRiva for president, Cindy Sheehan for Congress, and all other Green and socialist (Peace & Freedom in California, except Ralph Nader, who is not a socialist) and NEVER VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS. ANY UC STUDENT THAT SUPPORTS THE OBLITERATION OF THE TREES should be kicked off campus as they are profoundly backward. The pictures of those trees should be everywhere so the trees are not forgotten and the criminality of the Democrat-Republicans is not forgiven.
$ says that any UC student who votes for the obliteration of the trees should be kicked off campus.
I say "$" has an ego the size of a whale and needs to remember that he/she/it gets one vote and one voice, same as the rest of us.
And maybe "$" should remember that UCB spawned the free speech movement, which means people can voice their opinion whether they agree with "$"'s viewpoint or not.
My vote is bye to the trees and hello to the new facility, and gladly so.
Huzzah for free speech, and boo to totalitarianism thought police.
I say "$" has an ego the size of a whale and needs to remember that he/she/it gets one vote and one voice, same as the rest of us.
And maybe "$" should remember that UCB spawned the free speech movement, which means people can voice their opinion whether they agree with "$"'s viewpoint or not.
My vote is bye to the trees and hello to the new facility, and gladly so.
Huzzah for free speech, and boo to totalitarianism thought police.
Well, moving on, can anyone who is familiar with the second phase of the plan describe whether they still intend to either move or dig into Tightwad hill?
For someone without a car in the flatlands of Berkeley, particularly on the south side or Rockridge, the natural area around Strawberry Creek is about the most easily accessible area on foot or bike. The fire road above the rugby field, and the steep canyon at the end of Dwight let you feel like you're in a remote area. You can sort of see where the Oakland hills fire stopped in the 90s by the tree line, and there is a plan to remove the invasive eucalyptus.
I couldn't quite imagine how they would destroy tightwad hill access. Is this more a matter of rebuilding the stadium itself, or actually moving all that dirt?
For someone without a car in the flatlands of Berkeley, particularly on the south side or Rockridge, the natural area around Strawberry Creek is about the most easily accessible area on foot or bike. The fire road above the rugby field, and the steep canyon at the end of Dwight let you feel like you're in a remote area. You can sort of see where the Oakland hills fire stopped in the 90s by the tree line, and there is a plan to remove the invasive eucalyptus.
I couldn't quite imagine how they would destroy tightwad hill access. Is this more a matter of rebuilding the stadium itself, or actually moving all that dirt?
I have heard the University of California called everything from "human rights violators" to "capitalist pigs" to a "police state" by protesters and other opponents of the sports facility while following the progress of the historic tree-sit at Berkeley. I have heard the UC accused of suppressing free speech and using force unnecessarily many times, and I can hardly recall a negative comment about the conduct of the UC which did not in some way reference the Free Speech Movement of 1964.
I think that a little perspective on how unique the history of this protest is to Berkeley is more than in order.
The history of this protest is a testament to just how much impact FSM has had on the Berkeley campus, and to the enormous restraint and bending-over-backwards the university has shown to accommodate the every complaint of its opponents and critics, short of completely yielding control of its policies to ad hoc quasi-democracy.
What I mean by that is this: the fact that the tree-sit ever was allowed to happen at all shows just how much the University respects the rights of individuals to free speech and self-expression. In almost any other university in the country, if a stunt such as this were attempted, it would be forcibly destroyed within days. The oak grove would have been destroyed before an injunction could even be issued, and probably before anyone would even have time to protest. The fact that the UC put up with this enormous, expensive, embarrassing spectacle for as long as it did shows a great deal of consideration for all sides of the issue on the part of UC administration. If the UC were truly as callous to the rights and feelings of the protesters opposing its actions as people say, this protest would have been dealt with swiftly and severely - all important members would have been quickly arrested for trespassing and/or squatting on public lands and the effort would have been a footnote in the press article detailing the university's plans for construction, at best.
To those who were actively and dutifully dedicated to this protest over the past two years: Don't be bitter or angry at the University of California because you have lost. Honestly, in retrospect, you will likely realize what most of us already do: that the effort was quixotic at best and the cause inconsequential. Rather, be grateful to have had the opportunity to display your feelings and beliefs as loudly and boisterously as you did, for such ostentatiousness and obstructionism in protesting is a rare privilege, even in "free" countries. It is one of the most enduring and great legacies of FSM that such behavior is not only allowed, but cherished in Berkeley.
In short, enjoy your right to stand up and shout at UC Berkeley - it is one of the few places where you can do it as much as you have over the past two years.
I think that a little perspective on how unique the history of this protest is to Berkeley is more than in order.
The history of this protest is a testament to just how much impact FSM has had on the Berkeley campus, and to the enormous restraint and bending-over-backwards the university has shown to accommodate the every complaint of its opponents and critics, short of completely yielding control of its policies to ad hoc quasi-democracy.
What I mean by that is this: the fact that the tree-sit ever was allowed to happen at all shows just how much the University respects the rights of individuals to free speech and self-expression. In almost any other university in the country, if a stunt such as this were attempted, it would be forcibly destroyed within days. The oak grove would have been destroyed before an injunction could even be issued, and probably before anyone would even have time to protest. The fact that the UC put up with this enormous, expensive, embarrassing spectacle for as long as it did shows a great deal of consideration for all sides of the issue on the part of UC administration. If the UC were truly as callous to the rights and feelings of the protesters opposing its actions as people say, this protest would have been dealt with swiftly and severely - all important members would have been quickly arrested for trespassing and/or squatting on public lands and the effort would have been a footnote in the press article detailing the university's plans for construction, at best.
To those who were actively and dutifully dedicated to this protest over the past two years: Don't be bitter or angry at the University of California because you have lost. Honestly, in retrospect, you will likely realize what most of us already do: that the effort was quixotic at best and the cause inconsequential. Rather, be grateful to have had the opportunity to display your feelings and beliefs as loudly and boisterously as you did, for such ostentatiousness and obstructionism in protesting is a rare privilege, even in "free" countries. It is one of the most enduring and great legacies of FSM that such behavior is not only allowed, but cherished in Berkeley.
In short, enjoy your right to stand up and shout at UC Berkeley - it is one of the few places where you can do it as much as you have over the past two years.
"I''m a little confused about the conflicting reports as to whether or not the oak grove was a Native American burial ground. If it was, why wasn't there more of an outcry in the Native American community? The only Native American I've seen at the grove in the news is Zachary Running Wolf who frankly seems to have his own political agenda and has made many statements of questionable authenticity."
-It's because it's not an Indian burial ground. One body was found there apparently at the time they were building the stadium, but there is no evidence either way whether it was a Native or not.
-It's because it's not an Indian burial ground. One body was found there apparently at the time they were building the stadium, but there is no evidence either way whether it was a Native or not.
The UC Berkeley destruction/murder of the oak and other trees is part of a world-wide human greed massacre of other species for short term ego-inflation.
Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action
http://ClimateCodeRed.net
The United Nations Environment Program determined that humans need to plant 240 Billion trees to replace the loss of trees worldwide by human deforestation. Deforestation is the largest cause of global warming. It also is causing drought worldwide.
Check out the book Six Degrees by Mark Lynas for information on the collapse of the environment worldwide as the earth warms for each degree. This book is recommended by the deeply wise author Paul Hawken.
Shame on the UC Berkeley sports industry, the security industry, the construction industry, auto industry and oil industry for their pathological business-as-usual. Gangsters are sick, lame jerks.
UC Berkeley football coach Jeff Tedford made $2.8 million last year. That is obscene payola from the corporate gangsters.
Wake up! End the corporate media brainwashing.
Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action
http://ClimateCodeRed.net
The United Nations Environment Program determined that humans need to plant 240 Billion trees to replace the loss of trees worldwide by human deforestation. Deforestation is the largest cause of global warming. It also is causing drought worldwide.
Check out the book Six Degrees by Mark Lynas for information on the collapse of the environment worldwide as the earth warms for each degree. This book is recommended by the deeply wise author Paul Hawken.
Shame on the UC Berkeley sports industry, the security industry, the construction industry, auto industry and oil industry for their pathological business-as-usual. Gangsters are sick, lame jerks.
UC Berkeley football coach Jeff Tedford made $2.8 million last year. That is obscene payola from the corporate gangsters.
Wake up! End the corporate media brainwashing.
wasn't there, and all did an incredible job for this long, but they could have resisted and could not have been taken out, and they wouldn't try. for the future, a bit more...
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