Campus

Former Cal student surrenders

Students Against Hippies in Trees protest Fresh

By Roshanne Katouzian
From the April 2008 Print Edition

UC Berkeleys most recent tree-sitter, commonly known as Fresh, was identified as former Cal student Michael Schuck not long before he came down from the tree, after an organized rally against Schucks protest.

Leaders of a growing Facebook group called Students Against Hippies in Trees organized a rally on March 14 to approach Schuck and condemn him for his actions, while expressing their own views on why they are against Schucks causes. With a divided student mass in attendance, both supporters and opponents of the newest treesitter shared their opinions with each other and with Schuck, emphasizing their viewpoints on Schucks two-dozen causes, including democratizing the UC Regents and ending the universitys deal with BP.

Shortly after the rally died down and some students began to leave, Schuck came down from the tree after negotiations with the police. Schuck received a citation and was released. He is required to appear in court on April 16.

While occupying the tree, which is only steps away from Wheeler and Dwinelle Halls, Schuck was trespassing. He refused to come down each time the police offered to allow him to leave without any citation. Schuck did not want to be identified, and he told the police that he would only come down if they left. After several other claims from Schuck saying that he would soon come down, he did not move from the tree.

The police soon put up barricades around the perimeter of the tree in order to prevent people from aiding Schuck with food and water. Schuck claimed that he had been fasting ever since he began his demonstration in a nearby tree on February 25. Mitch Celaya, Assistant Chief of Police, explains that this protest was essentially a crime scene, and that the barricades were put up to prevent people from aiding Schucks trespassing.

Despite the conflict that Schuck propelled among the students, the university and the UCPD are relieved that Schucks protest in the tree ended without any injuries. Celaya explains that safety is always the priority in dealing with the campus tree-sitters, as the context of these protests makes it difficult for the police to do their job without risking injury to themselves or to the protesters. Considering the danger of potential harm to the police and to Schuck, Celaya stated that sending cops into the trees is not worth the risk.

Ensuring safety is ultimately a balancing act for the UCPD, as it has to judge the level of imminence of the protesters threats and then decide how assertive their actions will be against the protesters. For example, the UCPD put up fencing around the oak grove because the tree-sitters there are creating a publicsafety threat, as weapons have been found in the trees and the tree-sitters buckets of urine and feces have previously fallen to the ground. In terms of Schucks protest, however, it was not as clear what kind of threat his protest was creating, and the UCPD had to find a balance in their actions against Schucks occupation of the tree.

A controversial issue with the tree-sitters is the protection of their rights, specifically freedom of speech. As students exercise their freedom of speech on Sproul Plaza every day, the UC Berkeley campus serves as a hospitable host for voices to be heard. Executive Director of Public Affairs Dan Mogulof stated that everyones rights are always protected, but people cannot go to extreme measures. Mogulof classifies Schucks actions as a form of extortion, as occupying property until achieving his goals is different from expressing his views on Sproul Plaza.

Similar to the tree-sitters at the oak grove, Schuck created a division in the student body, as some students think that the universitys actions were too harsh, while others say that they were too lenient. If the university were to become more lenient to tree-sitters, people may resort to further extremes to gain attention and express their viewpoints, Mogulof worries.

Once we open the door, where does it stop? Mogulof said.

Schuck was arrested last April by the UCPD after one week of tree-sitting, according to an April 26, 2007, The Daily Californian report. In that protest, Schuck and others had scaled a redwood tree just northwest of Sproul Plaza.

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