Fredric Rice collected these photographs on 25/December/2002. For a description of the visit, click here. Please feel free to take these photographs and spread them far and wide to help show the others that they're not alone when they feel the hurt when corporate greed and unchecked human expansion threatens all of our lives and safety.

I've actually redacted the photographs some what because there were things I didn't want you to see; things like people's faces and people's cars./

tree010.jpg Here's a view of Old Glory and the hillside from across the street. The fence is maintained to keep well wishers out of the mildly hazardous construction zone immediately under the oak tree.

tree011.jpg A good look at Old Glory and most of the stree facing fence containing banners and a ground crew cover. Since this is a urban tree sitting, cones are placed in front of the fence to keep visiters from parking right up front, forcing pedestrins to step into the street. Safety is key!

tree012.jpg A verticle photograph of Old Glory which offers a bit of a view of just how small the tree sitting platform is. The platform is hardly recognizable from this distance because the platform is pretty small.

tree013.jpg A view down the road to the left shows a bit of the general area. To the left are fairly expensice houses that look to be pretty new.

tree014.jpg A look at some of the signage and a glimpse of the table covered in plastic that contains donations from local citizens to assist and support the effort to save Old Glory.

tree015.jpg A look inside the fence. Note the muddy pit on the far side of the tree that constitutes a bit of a hazard to urbanites who might have difficulty with the construction zone.

tree017.jpg The visitor shelter, if I'm not completely mistaken. We've had some rain over the past couple of months during which John quigley and friends have spent roosting. The minimal amount of supplies you see here offer something of a lesson on how it should be done: sealable containers with snap-tight lids to keep moisture out with the addition of tarps around and above stored in a corner as far away from the pedestrian opening as possible to keep the supplies dry and safe from meanies.

tree019.jpg On the other side of Old Glory, a bit down the road is new residential construction going in. I make the assumption that the reason the road needs to be widened to add two more lanes is due to the increase in humans that is planned for the immediate future.

tree021.jpg Here's a view of further on down the road along the path of the new highway. There's access to the hill immediately behind Old Glory, as you can see, though at present it's a fairly difficult drive for vehicles. Of particular interest is the drainage ditch that you can see at the base of the hill. That ditch is one of the expensive reasons why the City can't divert all four lanes up against the cliff were the City to spend the money to remove more of the hill.

tree022.jpg The far side of Old Glory and the hill behind. Notice toward the left bottom of the photograph the fact that curbing is already in place.

tree023.jpg And pretty much the same view except that we're looking toward the right more, getting a complete picture of Old Glory and the tree sit encampment.

tree025.jpg Here we have another vericle photograph of Old Glory that includes almost all of the tree and gives a better impression of the ditch the oak rests within and also gives a good impression of the urban tree sit resting right smack center of the construction zone -- except that it really isn't in the center since road construction goes on for quite a distance.

tree026.jpg A photograph of a major gasoline hog heading up into the homes. I thought I'd add this one since it shows what the real, fundamental problem is: too many humans with too many toys they don't really need. Maybe Goerge Dubya Bush will solve that problem by getting a couple billion of us killed in his latest religious war. Fuck George Bush. Both of them.

tree027.jpg We're trying to get a little closer to the tree sitting platform to show what it looks like. One of the aspects of a safety tree sit is the use of redundant ropes to secure the platform and even supplies safely. You'll notice a rope leading down toward the ground, here. There's a bucket at the end of that rope which is something that should be thought of while planning a tree sit.

tree030.jpg My three sons reading the banners and other messages on the fence. Various well wishers in the background. Yes, we're in the street, some of us, but there's so little traffic on Saturnalia that it was pretty safe regardless. Local citizens drive on the far side of the road when they pass anyway since they're good citizens.

tree031.jpg Looking out from under the ground crew's visiter center, if that's what it is. You might get the impression that there were a fairly large number of people there. I think that during the time I was there the most that were there at one time was about a dozen or so. Well wishers and "tourists" came and went during the entire period I and my sons was there.

tree033.jpg A somewhat fitting photograph showing the doomed prisoner confined behind chain linked fences. Straw was put down to make things a bit less muddy in some areas and a bail was left set aside as extra in the event more straw needs to be put down later. planning goes into a tree sit in advance but things crop up over the duration of a sit that can't be forseen in advance. An urban sit makes resupply fairly easy.

The fascist corporate greed heads quite often confiscate -- that is they steal -- activists' camping and survival supplies and when activists resist the thefts they're often arrested under the outrageous claim that they're being violent. And, of course, charges are dropped long before a Judge can ever hear of the Rights abuses. Indeed, the U. S. Forest "Service" actually burns people's belongings to destroy the evidence of their crimes.

tree034.jpg A view of some of that safety hazard I mentioned.

tree035.jpg Here we've got a good look at the cliff hillside that was already pushed back, and we see the drainage ditch along the ground. Were Old Glory to be left standing with all four lanes diverted to the right, this drainage ditch would be covered or moved to the right, and the cliff pushed back -- expensive.

tree036.jpg Another better view of just the drainage ditch.

tree037.jpg Behind Old Glory. I didn't cross the yellow tape since it's there to keep people out as a polite suggestion. Ugly human habitats going in on the other side of the road.

tree039.jpg The side fence. It looks to me that safety was a solid issue for this tree sit. There's a small electrical power generator and there's colored lighting so that when it's dark visitors and vehicle drivers won't collide in the dark. Fule is stored in a proper container and located far from normal foot traffic. Whoever planned this tree sitting knew what they were doing.

tree042.jpg We've looked down the street some, here we look at the street one drives on before reaching Old Glory. A Good number of people can park down the street in safety.

tree043.jpg We take a closer look at some of the signage, starting here and working down the fence in the coming photographs. "An in such an udly time, the true protest is beauty."

tree044.jpg More signage along the fence. Colored lighting and purple trilling ran along the fence.

tree046.jpg Amusingly, standard signs that appear to have been placed there by the construction people have been altered to some degree.

tree048.jpg Home of the John Quigley Oak Tree.

tree049.jpg More signage.

tree050.jpg My sons get a look at some of the signs. Most of the people visiting seem to be over than about 20 years though a number of children came by this day. That's good since it may be they'll remember the event as what started them thinking more about the Earth and humanity's excessive behavior.

tree052.jpg Table with plastic covering that appears to br protecting food and supplies donated by local citizens. A fairly large number of written letters of encouragement was also placed under the sheet of plastic by visiters.

tree053.jpg Finally the address for John Quigley in the event anyone wants to write to him. John Quigley, Old Glory, 419 Pico Canyon Road, Stevenson's Ranch, 91381.