BERKELEY, Calif. – Former tree-sitters at the University of California, Berkeley, who were trying to save a grove of trees outside Memorial Stadium, will have to pay thousands of dollars in fines and legal fees, according to SF Gate.
The majority of the money, which could total to more than $10,000 per tree-sitter, will go straight to the University of California system. The university says it spent more than $800,000 on security measures and police for the 22 months protesters sat in the trees.
The university is seeking nearly $10,000 in attorney fees from Eric Eisenberg, Michael Schuck, Gregg Horton, Terri Slanetz and Matthew Taylor for violating an injunction that banned people from sitting in trees or assisting those who were already in the branches.
In addition, each was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, and two were sentenced to five extra days in jail. The majority of the 15 to 20 protesters have been hit with fines as small as $100 with little to no jail time.
Five more protesters will go to trial Oct. 1 on contempt charges. Six more protesters are expected to be hit with contempt charges from the university later.
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