Meanwhile …
October 3, 2007 - 9:00 pm
The University of California, Berkeley wants to build a new athletic center to augment Memorial Stadium, where the school's football team plays.
That will require crews to remove a handful of oak trees. You'd think school officials were trying to cut down a rain forest.
In protest of the plans, a group of activists -- led by Zachary Running Wolf -- has been camping out high above ground in the oak limbs. On Monday, a judge told them to come on down, threatening them with jail time if they remain in the trees.
But that still might not clear the way for the project. The city of Berkeley itself has sued to stop construction -- think they'd have done the same if this were to be a museum of gay history? -- arguing that the proposed sports complex would be dangerous because the stadium sits on an active earthquake fault. (No kidding!)
Presumably, city officials will now order the immediate demolition of all buildings currently within their jurisdiction.