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UC Berkeley treated our resident Cal parakeet, “Fresh,” to quite a spectacle yesterday–and we’re not talking about the performers for Pilipino Cultural Night who were practicing a heartfelt rendition of Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” on Dwinelle Plaza, directly across from his perch.

No, Fresh had a gang of angry supporters by his police-lined fences on Sunday afternoon. Among the riled up company was our favorite all-purpose protester, Zachary RunningWolf–tricked out in his usual impeccably-selected anti-American t-shirt.

The Clog happened to be there when the grandmother-pushing and subsequent nonsensical yelling began. “White males kill their mothers!” declared one angry woman, repeatedly, after police forcefully prevented an elderly woman from giving Fresh a little nourishment.

One guy eventually snagged a heroically symbolic arrest after throwing a chain of water bottles to the Wheeler Hall treewok.

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One of the bottles fell, however. A cop promptly picked it up and emptied it in silent revenge. Cue the cries of “YOU BASTARD!”

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And then it got boring.

Apparently, RunningWolf was also there to protest against the university’s ownership of Native-American remains. Yes, at a tree sit. We don’t even know what tree-people are protesting anymore. Development? The lack of affirmative action? The last season of “The Wire”? Pick a cause, any cause– ’cause every protest has an element of anti-everything: anti-cops, anti-democratization, anti-shower.

Such is the multi-purpose nature of a tree-sit–in Berkeley, at least.


Image Source: Patrici Flores

Earlier: News from the Tree Front: ‘Fresh’ Makes Like a Cat and Scrambles



Comments:
Dangierre said:
Mar 10, 2008 at 12:54 am

You forgot the best part:
SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!!!!!



Boy II Man said:
Mar 10, 2008 at 4:06 pm

As a fellow boy II man singing “End of the Road,” I think we should be happy together forever… you and I.



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