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Started by Nancy Horsman
Thu, 07 Oct 1993 17:46
UBC crushed public protest
Author: Nancy Horsman
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1993 17:46
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1993 17:46
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A community protest against the University of British
Columbia's plan to clear-cut a south campus forest ended
September 21 - 100 days from the stormy June evening on which
the tree-sitters first entered the area.
Those persons who were conceived to be active protestors were
served a Writ of Summons from the Supreme Court of British
Columbia on September 16. On the advice of lawyers, the
protestors decided to leave the site at 16th Avenue and East
Mall. None of those involved could afford the impoverishment of
years of litigation in the courts should the University bring its
heavily-punitive injunction against the group.
The restraining order sought by the UBC administration would
have brought criminal charges, including trespass, intimidation,
nuisance, obstruction, interference, conspiracy. Attached
affidavits asserted vandalism and theft.
The document named ten persons: ironically, a number of these
persons had simply entered the area to help remove tents and
equipment. Also listed in the Writ of Summons were "John Doe,
Jane Doe, and persons unknown."
In short, the restraint would ensure that no person, known or
"unknown," might act on individual conscience without putting
*all* persons at risk.
The University now has a powerful corporate tool in the
restraining order. A Board of Governors' agreement this past
summer assured that the University would follow public process in
its plans from now on: as it happens, the first act of public
process, not two months later, found the UBC administration
asking the Supreme Court of B.C. for a criminal reading against
its own students and neigbours.
Community protestors supported the tree-sitting action for 100
days to draw public attention to UBC's South Campus Plan. The
Plan would cut down all remaining forest on that 16th Avenue
site, replacing the trees with great tracts of market housing and
industrial research facilities. Plans for increased road systems
to "double vehicular traffic" (University planner Andrew Brown,
in a June public meeting) would make traffic islands of
playgrounds and schools, and would further pollute residential
living spaces.
Finally, the South Campus Plan would change the whole nature of
the University, from a public institution to a private one.
Perhaps president David Strangway envisions a Corporation of
Advanced Engineering as the future for this Point Grey campus
(see *Vancouver Sun*, July 30, 1993).
Protestors at the South Campus site do not share the Strangway
vision. They went to the public lands at 16th Avenue and East
Mall this summer to represent *their* B.C. constituency, and to
fight for its rights.
Nancy Horsman
Re: UBC crushed public protest
Author: John Paul Morrison
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1993 22:49
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1993 22:49
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In article <291kmg$6u7@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>, Nancy Horsman <leon@chem.ubc.ca> wrote: > > Those persons who were conceived to be active protestors were >served a Writ of Summons from the Supreme Court of British >Columbia on September 16. On the advice of lawyers, the >protestors decided to leave the site at 16th Avenue and East >Mall. None of those involved could afford the impoverishment of >years of litigation in the courts should the University bring its >heavily-punitive injunction against the group. > > > The restraining order sought by the UBC administration would >have brought criminal charges, including trespass, intimidation, >nuisance, obstruction, interference, conspiracy. Attached >affidavits asserted vandalism and theft. > I'm amazed...to find that the courts actually protect an individual's or business's property rights. With a socialist NDP government in BC, and the general anti-individual, pro-collective; anti-property government-knows-best attitude in Canada, I would have expected different. Maybe there's hope yet. Maybe not: one still cant cut down a tree or build something on your property without running into some idiotic law. > > > In short, the restraint would ensure that no person, known or >"unknown," might act on individual conscience without putting >*all* persons at risk. My individual conscience tells me I should break into your house, invite my friends in, trash the place, and call it an "enlightened social statement". > > > The University now has a powerful corporate tool in the >restraining order. A Board of Governors' agreement this past >summer assured that the University would follow public process in >its plans from now on: as it happens, the first act of public >process, not two months later, found the UBC administration >asking the Supreme Court of B.C. for a criminal reading against >its own students and neigbours. > amazing how ordinary protection of life and property gets distorted for the purposes of the back-to-nature-destroy-all-civilisation-trees-have -feelings-too-man's-place-in-nature-is-to-shiver-in-the-dark zealots. one day, probably too late, people will realise what the real "green" agenda is: destroy civilisation, take us back to the stone ages, and reduce man to just another forest creature scraping for roots and bugs with our bare hands like some savage. > Finally, the South Campus Plan would change the whole nature of >the University, from a public institution to a private one. >Perhaps president David Strangway envisions a Corporation of >Advanced Engineering as the future for this Point Grey campus >(see *Vancouver Sun*, July 30, 1993). I take it that bothers you? > > > > Nancy Horsman -- ___________________________________________________________________________ John Paul Morrison | University of British Columbia, Canada | Hey hey!! Ho ho!! Electrical Engineering | Tax & spend liberals jmorriso@rflab.ee.ubc.ca VE7JPM | have got to go!! ________________________________________|__________________________________
Re: UBC crushed public protest
Author: Albert Cheung Pang
Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1993 21:43
Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1993 21:43
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>one day, probably too late, people will realise what the real "green" >agenda is: destroy civilisation, take us back to the stone ages, and >reduce man to just another forest creature scraping for roots and bugs >with our bare hands like some savage. and you're a PRIME example. stop hacking on the lady. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Under NAFTA, the US will remain the chief economic engine of this continent w/ Mexico supplying the cheap labour and Canada supplying a steady "stream" of resources; and perhaps, w/ Latin America supplying a little bit of both, only cheaper. The same ethos holds for the Asian and Euro blocks -- Japan and its lieutenant states dominating their weaker "partners"; a German-dominated Western Europe exploiting the cheap labour of the East and the resources of a neutered Russia. Imperialism is not dead, it isn't even past. --me ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALBERT CHEUNG PANG e2a192@rick.cs.ubc.ca -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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