PALM BEACH GARDENS — A woman climbed a tree at Palm Beach Gardens City Hall at 5 a.m. Friday in hopes of making a statement about tree cutting, she says.
But police and fire rescue workers gathered quickly, and by 8 a.m. she was back on the ground - taken away in handcuffs. Ana Rodriguez was charged with resisting arrest without violence and with violating three city ordinances, said Officer Ellen Lovejoy, spokeswoman for Palm Beach Gardens Police.
Rodriguez called The Palm Beach Post Friday morning to say that she donned "sad clown makeup" and climbed up the tree at the city administrative complex at Military Trail and Burns Road.
Rodriguez said she carried up a banner saying "Dead Forests are no joke." Friday was April Fool's Day. She said she was protesting the anniversary of a permit issued to cut some trees.
Rodriguez is a member of Everglades Earth First! Two of the group's members were arrested last week for trespassing on Palm Beach County property multiple times despite warnings not to, police said.
"We wanted to send a message we're still fighting the (Scripps Florida) plan," said Panagioti Tsolkas of Earth First!, another protester outside city hall Friday on the one-year anniversary of the approval by the city council of the development of the Briger property for the Scripps Florida Research biotech laboratory.
Earth First! had been staging tree sit-ins for more than a month in the Briger Forest south of Donald Ross Road.
"We don't think its necessary to the project," he added, saying the area of pine flatlands and scrub contains the endangered species of gopher tortoises and hand fern.
Tsolkas said Palm Beach Gardens Police cut down the trees he claims were in a preserve area of the forest that was not supposed to developed.
Staff writer Amanda Leth contributed to this story.
3rd treesitter arrested today
ReplyDeletePALM BEACH GARDENS — A woman climbed a tree at Palm Beach Gardens City Hall at 5 a.m. Friday in hopes of making a statement about tree cutting, she says.
ReplyDeleteBut police and fire rescue workers gathered quickly, and by 8 a.m. she was back on the ground - taken away in handcuffs. Ana Rodriguez was charged with resisting arrest without violence and with violating three city ordinances, said Officer Ellen Lovejoy, spokeswoman for Palm Beach Gardens Police.
Rodriguez called The Palm Beach Post Friday morning to say that she donned "sad clown makeup" and climbed up the tree at the city administrative complex at Military Trail and Burns Road.
Rodriguez said she carried up a banner saying "Dead Forests are no joke." Friday was April Fool's Day. She said she was protesting the anniversary of a permit issued to cut some trees.
Rodriguez is a member of Everglades Earth First! Two of the group's members were arrested last week for trespassing on Palm Beach County property multiple times despite warnings not to, police said.
"We wanted to send a message we're still fighting the (Scripps Florida) plan," said Panagioti Tsolkas of Earth First!, another protester outside city hall Friday on the one-year anniversary of the approval by the city council of the development of the Briger property for the Scripps Florida Research biotech laboratory.
Earth First! had been staging tree sit-ins for more than a month in the Briger Forest south of Donald Ross Road.
"We don't think its necessary to the project," he added, saying the area of pine flatlands and scrub contains the endangered species of gopher tortoises and hand fern.
Tsolkas said Palm Beach Gardens Police cut down the trees he claims were in a preserve area of the forest that was not supposed to developed.
Staff writer Amanda Leth contributed to this story.