BERKELEY, Calif. – UC Berkeley officials are preparing to remove the last remaining tree-sitters protesting a planned sports center next to Memorial Stadium.
Workers are erecting scaffolding around the redwood where four protesters were still perched Tuesday. UC officials did not say how and when they plan to remove them.
The protest began 21 months ago in an effort to prevent the campus from clearing an oak grove to make room for the new sports center.
But the university has cut most of the trees after getting court clearance last week.
The university has refused to meet the protesters' demand that it donate $6 million to environmental and Native American groups as part of an agreement for the tree-sitters to come down voluntarily.
Campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said Monday the university is preparing for what it hopes will be a "quick and safe extraction" in the coming days.
One of the tree-sitters, who goes by the name Huck, said he and the other three protesters with him plan to stay put.
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