Once again, the Save Oroville Trees people gathered in the early morning darkness in front of the Oroville Cemetery. It was a last effort to save their Heritage Trees. To make sure law, order, and safety prevailed, the “authorities” called for the following city forces to be present: Oroville police, Oroville fire dept. and paramedics.  PG&E hired some rent-a-cops, traffic control guys, a fence crew and, of course, a large crew of out of town tree cutters.  Many PG&E officials were on hand.

Eleven people were handcuffed, cited and released. One woman, however, chose to go back into the fenced-off area and lay down under one of the trees. She was arrested and taken to the county jail.

By the time this blogger went home at 5:00PM, nine trees still stood – but with all their upper limbs lopped off.  You could hardly call them trees anymore, let alone Heritage Trees.

Woman chains herself to a tree.

Dave climbs up into a tree again.

People start getting cited and removed from fenced area around the trees.

Handicapped man is cited and removed.

A mother is handcuffed and removed along with her son.

Al talks to his wife from up in one of the trees.

Oroville City Administrator, Randy Murphy, comes down to check out the standoff between people and PG&E.

Bill goes limp and is carried out of fenced area.

Woman returns to fenced-off area and is arrested.

PG&E workers huddle.

The name of out of town tree crew.

PG&E didn’t waste time – 3 trees get cut at the same time.

One person said the cracking of the limbs “sounded like bones breaking.”

Heritage Tree,  gone forever.