Seniors get eviction notices after tree protest

[September 26, 2008]  SHREWSBURY, Mass. (AP) -- Two elderly women who tied themselves to a crab apple tree to protest its removal say they're being evicted from their senior housing complex.

Lee Perrone, 74, and Pat Henry, 65, were protesting the Shrewsbury Housing Authority's decision to cut down the tree to make way for a trash bin. The women say the housing authority is now retaliating against them.

Henry said she spent seven consecutive days -- about 10 hours a day -- tied to the tree.

"It's a beautiful tree. It blooms. It's a beautiful sight we can see from our porches," she said.

Henry, Perrone and Ethel Casey, 85, last week tied themselves together with rope strung through patio chairs and around the tree, taking breaks for trips to the bathroom and meals.

Henry said the eviction notice she received Tuesday says she has 30 days to leave her apartment at Francis Gardens for "obstructing members of the Shrewsbury Housing Authority from carrying out their duties."

Casey said she did not receive an eviction notice because she sat with the other women after the tree removal company left.

A Worcester attorney has filed a court action to try to stop the evictions.

The executive director of the housing authority declined comment.

[Associated Press]

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