BERKELEY — The removal of five trees from People’s Park neared completion Tuesday morning amid arrests of protesters who didn’t want to see the trees come down, campus authorities and police said.
Police arrested six people on suspicion of illegal camping, illegal lodging and breaking the campus curfew before many of the protesters began to leave on their own, Sgt. Nicolas Hernandez said. A group of campers have been staying at the park in violation of campus law since Jan. 4, campus spokesman Michael Dirda said.
The trees were discovered to be a hazard by experts and were scheduled to be removed as part of routine maintenance. The work was slated to begin Dec. 28, but protesters blocked the trees, and the university decided to wait on removing them, Dirda said.
The encampment varied in size between 10 and 50 people, he said.
Officers have warned the campers since the beginning that they’ve been camping in violation of state law. Setting up camp on the campus is illegal at all times, Dirda said, and the campus is closed between midnight and 6 a.m.
As police removed protesters and others voluntarily left, tree arborists worked to bring down the affected trees.
“They were damaged,” Dirda said. “They posed a hazard.”
Protesters who created a “People’s Park Committee” page on Facebook called it “a terrible day,” in a post on the page.
“We are angry,” the post said.
According to the post, UC police showed up to the park, located off Telegraph Avenue, around 5 a.m. to begin removing the protesters.
Check back for updates.