#treehunter

A day that changed forever the face of the campaign to protect the street tree heritage and save the reputation of this great green? city...

Rustlings Road 12 noon, 14 year old Tom sums it all up...’It’s meant to be a green city and they’re chopping down the trees. It doesn’t really make sense’ 

Nov. 17th 2016 was a dark, dark day fro democracy in Sheffield & the UK. As perhaps is this week in the light of the ‘coincidental’ reporting by the Sheffield TELEGRAPH showing a front page of, - not the 99.9% of happy, arb-friendly Tree Protectors who have campaigned to preserve their very special Sheffield Street Treescape - no, the Telegraph chose to go with a masked tree protector who just did not want to be recognised because of the tactics of Sheffield City Council in their injunctions and ‘evidence gatherers’ who have even followed people back to their own homes.

Watch the FILM HERE>   14 year old TOM   

At 7am (17/11/16) I awoke to see the devastation happening in Rustlings Rd on Facebook and immediately set out for Sheffield. To do what I did not know. To meet and hopefully support them, yes I guess, but what else could be done? It was an experience I would not want to repeat. I still have film I have not shown. Of folks so deeply upset and I guess in shock at what had just happened.

#TreeHeroes Jenny Hockey & Freda Brayshaw.

Bearing in mind that only at 4:35am Sheffield City Council had issued on their own website a document that had been due out in the summer stating that 5 or 6 of the trees on Rustlings road could and should be retained, easily, cheaply. They were NOT DANGEROUS! 30 minutes later they started to CUT THEM DOWN, IN THE DARKNESS OF EARLY MORNING. Unsafe & illegal working practices at 5am. Many residents having been threatened with their cars being towed away, and eventually two lovely ladies in their 70′s - Jenny Hockey & Freda Brayshaw...yes you read this correctly. 70+ year old Grannies taken away to jail along with a chap (unknown). Only to be later told as they entered the court after months of worry & stress that all charged had been dropped. (Of course this was after our great friend lawyer Paul Powesland had come in free to defend our proper rights) and show the laws they used were incorrect & illegal.

Watch the FILM HERE > SUSAN says it as she sees it

In case we need reminding of just how bad Sheffield City Council got things. Not just on this day of course but theirs was the worst day, and a TURNING POINT in the campaign. The world media reported the evnets. Sheffield City Council eventually issued an apology of sorts.

Watch FILM HERE  > CALVIN talks of riot squads

See where they dumped DELILAH in the Amey Depot. Watch FILM HERE > DELILAH in Amey Depot

The national media and politician Nick Clegg rightfully slated the tactics and actions carried out on this dark day in Sheffield history.

Please do support the GUARDIAN as they are providing FREE CONTENT