Tar Sands Blockade Lines Cut, Tree Sitter Literally out on a Limb

***UPDATE THURSDAY 11/1/12 12:30PM – Pika managed to come down late last night around 2am. She had no food or water and her warm clothes had been cut down as well. She was arrested upon descent and is now facing a similar set of charges as Lauren: Fourth Degree (State) Felony Criminal Mischief and Class B Misdemeanor Criminal Trespass minus the Class A Misdemeanor Resisting Arrest charge.

Both appeared in court earlier today and were in good spirits. The judge set Pika’s bail at $11,500 and Lauren’s is $14,000. We expect they will be released within a couple hours.

Please consider making a generous donation to assist in getting Lauren and Pika free and for our peaceful, sustained resistance to the Keystone XL pipe

***UPDATE 10:30PM — Directly from Pika from her perch:

I’m sitting in this pine tree under fllood lights and the watchful eyes of cops, just thinking about all the implications of this pipeline and that the destruction I see 70 feet below me is just one tiny part. I feel grief, but I also feel strong!

I don’t have any food or water. I couldn’t get it high enough quickly enough, so the cops cut it down.

It’s starting to get a little chilly.

Thanks so much for all the amazing support!!

***UPDATE 8:30PM – Pika amazingly climbed up in her tree higher than the cherry picker could reach. In response, police cut her platform and climb line from her tree and retreated the cherry picker, leaving her in the tree with just the rope she has on her person and her resourcefulness. She’s currently on a limb about 70 feet in the air, chillin.

Law enforcement hasn’t left the scene, and they are there with noisy, generator-powered flood lights to induce sleep deprivation. Pika’s supporters haven’t left the scene entirely, either. Four Tar Sands Blockade supporters will be holding vigil for her through the night. [Mod. note: these are the tactics that the police used against Tre Arrow, causing his near-fatal 40-foot fall.]

While it is a dangerous situation and it is certainly an exercise of extraordinarily questionable judgement on the part of the police, Pika is an experienced climber and we expect her to be fine.

Lauren on the other hand has been booked for the night in Nacogdoches County Jail. Her charges are Fourth Degree (State) Felony Criminal Mischief, Class A Misdemeanor Resisting Arrest, and Class B Misdemeanor Criminal Trespass. We won’t know until tomorrow when she visits with a judge what her bail will be.

Please consider making a generous donation to assist in getting Lauren free and for our peaceful, sustained resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline.