Defense Operation: People's Park, Berkeley

-- Immediate Assistance Required --

Be the revolution:

Gardeners are wanted, donations of plants are wanted.
Community organizers are wanted and help with social media.
Biologists are wanted, people of science who can help document the plants and animals.
Historians are wanted, help preserve the history.
Artists are wanted.  Donations of sculptures are wanted.  Drawers, painters, photographers, film-makers are wanted.
Healers are wanted.  First aid, basic medical care. Social worker and therapists wanted.

Your mission, if you choose to accept... DEFEND PEOPLE'S PARK

People's Park in Berkeley, California is under attack.  Today more trees are being removed today as UC Berkeley continues to clear the lot.  Others are being severely pruned to prevent any future tree-sitter protests.

University of California Berkeley, lead by UC President Janet Napolitano (formerly head of Dept Homeland Security) is in the process of shutting down People's Park to make space for a cafe and future student housing.  People's Park has long been a controversy for UC Berkeley, as it is has been occupied by protesters for 46 years.

UC Berkeley is stopping the planting of any new trees, and has prohibited restoration of the concert stage.  The last concert to use the stage will be a world music concert on June 13th.  The following week, the stage will be removed.  The UC might also start taking out benches.

Two days prior to the 46th anniversary of People's Park, 'The Daily Californian' newspaper printed an opinion piece by Berkeley city council member Lori Droste calling for increased student housing on UC property: http://www.dailycal.org/2015/04/24/students-must-help-burst-berkeley-housing-crisis-bubble  While the Councilperson does not mention People's Park, the piece was printed on the Friday before the Park's anniversary festivities.

During the Berkeley city council meeting of November of 2012, UC Berkeley presented a concept to remove gardening space in People's Park to provide reserved restaurant/cafe seating for local businesses that wished to partner with the UC.  The concept also called for clearing space for a building, such as another cafe. The following year, in December of 2013, the UC announced the firing of Robert Lelanne as the university's first vice-chancellor of real estate.  Lelanne will be the project manager for deconstructing People's Park and future development.

Currently, University of California Berkeley has had 4 major tree cutting events since Spring Break.  2 over the break, and 2 tree cutting events this week (inducing today).

Phone calls can be made to University of California [1-510-643-7384] and the Professional Tree Care Service [1-888-335-8733]

-- Immediate Assistance Required --