The tree sit-in is over.

“Aeon,” the young woman who had been in the “Borders Tree” at Eighth and Rhode Island since Tuesday, came down peacefully shortly before 8 a.m. Friday when police and firefighters arrived at the scene to remove her.

Firefighters put a ladder up to the tree; she unharnessed herself and climbed down.

“It’s been days since I’ve been down here,” Aeon said with a giggle as she finally reached earth.

Later, she said she was disappointed to leave – but since her support group of protesters camped around the tree had left the night before, she had little choice.

“Everybody else ran off with their tails between their legs,” she said.

Aeon had replaced “Sihka,” the young woman who had spent the previous week in the tree after workers cut off the limbs. Protesters had hoped to save what was left.

“I’m really upset they’re cutting down the tree,” Aeon said. “It’s still alive. It was budding while I was up there.”

An office-condominium complex is planned for the site.

¢ ‘Final notice’ fails to move protester from elm tree (3-28-03)¢ Cohort fills vacated spot in tree (3-26-03)¢ 6News video: Elm tree gets a different protester (3-26-03)¢ Agreement may bring tree sitter to ground (3-21-03)¢ 6News video: Communty support grows for woman in tree (3-21-03)¢ Editorial: For a tree? (3-20-03)¢ Tentative deal cut on tree protest (3-20-03)¢ Woman goes out on a limb to save ‘Borders tree’ (3-19-03)¢Downtown’s giant elm cut down(3-19-03)¢Read property owner’s notice to vacate tree (pdf).¢Read Kaya Preservation Society’s letter of support (pdf).