6 Arrests At People's Park Encampment

BERKELEY, CA — Six protesters who didn't want arborists to remove five diseased and damaged trees from People's Park in Berkeley were arrested early Tuesday, a University of California at Berkeley spokesman said.

The work to remove a Torrey pine tree, three Deodar cedars and one Monterey pine was to have begun on Dec. 28 but protesters blocked the trees and the university decided not to remove the trees at that time, campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

On Jan. 4, a small group of protesters established a small encampment in the park, which Mogulof said was an illegal move that violated a long-standing prohibition against camping on university property.

The encampment grew over time and fluctuated between 10 and 50 people, according to Mogulof.

On Jan. 7, UC police officers repeatedly and regularly told people at the encampment that they were in violation of the law and subject to arrest, Mogulof said.

Related:

• Driver Killed By Falling Tree In Berkeley
• Man Killed By Falling Tree In Berkeley: Online Fundraiser

The officers also told people at the encampment that there are vacant beds in city of Berkeley shelters and encouraged them to take advantage of those resources, according to Mogulof.

When arborists and UCPD officers arrived at People's Park early Tuesday morning, there were still eight people at the encampment, Mogulof said.

Six of them were arrested between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Tuesday and were cited for unlawful lodging, unlawful camping on campus and breaking the campus curfew, he said.

The university didn't disclose the number of officers who carried out the arrests but said California Highway Patrol officers helped UC police make the arrests.

University officials said they expect all of the tree work in the park to be completed by the end of the day and will continue to enforce the law that prohibits overnight camping in the park, as they have for more than 20 years.

According to the university, the park does not have the appropriate facilities or infrastructure needed to ensure public health and safety nor does the campus have the resources or the responsibility to manage and operate the park as an urban campground.

Mogulof said the tree work at the park was part of a university effort to remove trees at 15 sites around the campus that arborists had deemed to be dangerous.

Protesters who created a "The People's Park Committee" page on Facebook wrote, "It's a terrible day in People's Park and we are angry."

The protesters said, "They have cleared the protest camp and ushered Expert Tree Service (the tree killers) into People's Park."

The protesters identified three of those who were arrested, who they described as "People's Park defenders," as Adam Ziegler, Michelle Lot, and James Cartmill.

(Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!) Also See:

• ‘Hamilton’ In San Francisco: Dates, Tickets To Hottest Show In US
• Apple Has Over 600 Job Openings In The Bay Area Right Now
• Please Don't Help My Kids

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock