South Park Co-Creator Matt Stone Pays to Save Eastmoreland Sequoias

I SPEAK FOR THE TREES: Arthur Bradford with some seriously large sequoias that soon might not exist.

He is the Butters, and he pays for the trees.

Three sequoias on an Eastmoreland lot appear to have been saved from developer chainsaws—thanks in part to cash from Matt Stone, the co-creator of South Park.

Arthur Bradford, one of the Eastmoreland residents battling to save the huge redwoods, says developer Vic Remmers has agreed to turn the lot at Southeast 36th Avenue and Martins Street into a public space after a payment from donors including Stone, who voices the cartoon characters Kenny, Kyle and Butters.

Bradford, who wrote about the trees last month for WW, directed a documentary about the filming of a South Park episode. He won't say how much Stone chipped in, but says Remmers lowered his price from $900,000.


"All of us here will be able to take our grandchildren, our grandchildren's children, to see these trees," Bradford told a crowd this afternoon.

Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported Stone's involvement in the deal.

Protesters spent the past two days gathered around—and climbing in—the sequoias. Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association president Robert McCullough and Mayor Charlie Hales this morning began brokering a deal with Remmers and his Everett Custom Homes.

"There's a lot of fine print," McCullough says, adding that, so far, "I think it's a fair deal."

Dave Walters, a local activist living in one of the trees, has not yet descended.

Jessie Sponberg, another of the activists, asked the crowd not to celebrate prematurely.

"Dave [Walters] is not coming down from the tree until we see a piece of paper with two signatures on it," Sponberg says.

Acticist Beth Borgen said that Walters, who has been up in one of the sequoias since Tuesday afternoon, has the supplies he needs to stay another night.

"He's totally good, he's not going anywhere," Borgen says.

"These are long lived trees," McCullough says, adding that if it came down to him sitting in front of the trees in his lawn chair, he'd do it.

"I've gotten to 65 without being arrested," he says. "It's on my bucket list."

Photos from the scene:

 
 

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