Another fitting headline may have been: Drones of News Choppers Nearly Drown out Tree Choppers and Sitters.

At any rate, the entire bay area is abuzz as tensions and violence flair at Oak Grove. You think we’re exaggerating? Scaffolding, helicopters and negotiators now surround the redwood that served as a tree home (tree home: like a tree house, but much more comfortable) to our Berkeley tree-sitters. On the ground, tree supporters have chained themselves to the tree and each other; arrests have been made.

The university may have called for an ultimatum, but the tree-sitters have their own ultimatum in mind as well. They’ve begun throwing buckets of “toilet waste” at arborists. Curse you, Mercury Times, for not specifying the contents of these buckets!

Image Source: Skyler Reid, Daily Cal
Most Trees Down Near UC Berkeley Stadium [Daily Cal]
End appears near for UC Berkeley tree-sitters [Mercury News]
Earlier: UCB Says Goodbye to 42 Trees and 21 Months of Litigation