Arrests and Crime stats?

[Laurathegypsy]

I saw a very disturbing arrest of two poor innocent-looking girls Saturday night outside the opulent temple. :shock: Does anyone have the scoop on the number of arrests that took place this year and the tactics the bad guys used to entrap unsuspecting burners? Other crime stats?

[zifra]

My information is all anecdotal, I have no stats:

One person in my camp was arrested, searched and sited for smoking mj in a CLOSED VAN! The police walked out of the desert.

One of my camp mates was leaving an art car, as he left another camp mate handed him 3 cigarettes (tobacco, really!). The police took him and searched him and stated it was because "we could not tell what she passed you".

And I heard one eye witness report that said someone's van was searched by dogs at the 9:00 circle early in the week.

We also have reports police were donning burner garb and glow sticks before leaving thier vehicle to wander in the crowd.

And lastly is the story of an art car driver who was offered acid by a strange guy just before he want to drive. When he refused the person said in a very official voice "good choice" and left.

The winds are changing....

[sun365]

Another couple who who had just gotten married 2 days before, were arrested for a joint, and badly roughed up, held for hours....
If the powers to be see it in their (financial?) interest to invite these law enforcement goons I will find me a different event to attend. I was told that by Sunday there had been at least 27 arrests.

[oleg8888]

According to SFgatete website there was only 1 arrest. Could media be lieing again????

[somekind]

I talked to one burner who had been arrested. He was pretty distraught. They searched his tent and found whatever.

A fellow camper related seeing an entire camp being searched by a group of police.

Several people asked me for drugs at the Opulent Temple, but of course I didn't help them.

Fortunately I made it there and back without any official obstruction.

I wonder how many times people are hassled for rolling cigarettes?

Last year I was stopped for putting in ear plugs at the OT. I think the cop might have thought I was another cop once he saw the earplugs.

[vertigo900]

The law enforcement in BRC is out of hand. This was my 9th year and I have had several encounters in previous years.

Entrapment on Saturday, Burn Day 2004: A virgin burner was having a wonderful time hanging out at a veteran burner's camp on Burn Day until a strange man approached the two burners and asked to buy some pot. The veteran burner was apprehensive at first but after the stranger pleaded, he gave him a joint while refusing payment. The stranger insisted on paying and offered him an apple. Finally, the burner gave in and took the apple and the camp was instantly swarmed by dozens of narcotics officers. They the officers searched the camp and took the two men to the local BRC jail. Moments after they left the BRC Rangers arrived wondering what happened. It is unknown what happened to the veteran burner. The virgin burner was released in the dark, an hour before the burn with no shoes on the other side of town. He could not get a ride. He had to walk over a mile without shoes and hurt his bare feet. He missed the burn and left the next day. We had met the virgin burner earlier in the week. He had courageously come out by himself and was having so much fun. He had never heard electronic music before and feel in love with it and with BRC. We gave him a bunch of electronic CDs and he was so excited he had something in common like this with his teenage daughter! He couldn't wait to return home to share it with her! Then this happened.

Fishing for drugs Friday night 2007: I was in an open area of our camp talking with a campmate when a stranger walked into our camp through an open passage as wide as an RV. Without our request or inquiry, he approached us and began pouring out his story. Since he was dressed like he was at a baseball game and was really forward I immediately began to suspect him his intentions. He began to tell us how he had been to BRC several times and earlier in the evening had dropped an E-tab. So he decided to approach some hot ladies and offered to eat them out. When they refused, since he had given a guy a blow job before he met some guy and blew him off. Now he was just cruising around and wondered how our night was going. I was so pissed this A-hole came into our camp with his bs story. I didn't know what to say. I am a passive person and was not on anything, but I wanted to call the Rangers to get this narc the F out of our camp! I wanted to kick him in the balls. I felt so violated! I didn't need to hear that! My camp is my sanctuary.

Undercovers Thursday Night at Opulent Temple 2007: We inadvertently parked in front of an officers vehicle. Three undercovers immediately came out from the crowd to check on their vehicle. Noticing they had glow sticks and badges, my camp yelled "keep up the bad work!" One of the narcs puffed up his chest, got it his face and yelled "Wha'd you say?!!!" My campmate replied, "I said...keep up the Bad work!" The narc responded with a grin, "Absolutely!"

I have had other encounters, including one in which a campmate received a citation for pot. I am so tired of the undercover narcs in BRC ruining burners experience over a joint. Anti-marijuana legislation is archaic. If this county does not appreciate burners, maybe it's time we find another home for BRC and the burner community. In California, medical prescriptions for marijuana are respected by law enforcement. I have some friends with some beautiful private land near Bridgeport, California that would be perfect. I'm going to talk them about setting something up. If the BORG and Black Rock Rangers can't properly mediate and represent our rights to Nevada law enforcement agencies by providing a safe, respectful location for us the burner community to express ourselves. Then maybe it's time we make find a new sanctuary for our family by relocating to California where our human rights, civil liberties and constitutional rights are more respected!

:D

-vertigo

[Toolmaker]

I smuggle my stuff in my booty and have never been caught once. Soon they'll catch onto ppl with blue arms and start searching em.

[AntiM]

On the other hand, those of us who choose not to do drugs for whatever reason had a wonderful time with no fear of being busted. I don't think the BMORG or the rangers have any business making Burning Man a "safe" place to do drugs. That's a personal choice as far as I can see. You know the risks, you take the precautions. Don't saddle me with your pot smoking burner stereotype. I am so tired of the poor me I got busted people whining about how they had to pay the stupid tax. Folks know there's undercover cops there, pay attention. I got offered a gift of acid from a complete stranger and turned it down even though he claimed to be tripping and his girlfriend either was or was doing a fine job of imitating it. No reason to be dumb for a few hours of fun.

So, where does it say marijuana is a civil liberty or a constitutional right? I missed that in class. No, I am not going to debate it.

You go right ahead and make the type of event you want, that's good and proactive. I'll skip it, thanks.

[BitterDan]

So, where does it say marijuana is a civil liberty or a constitutional right? I missed that in class. No, I am not going to debate it.

Thats not really the point AntiM. I don't think people are saying that it is our constitutional right to smoke pot but illegal search and seizure is absolutely a violation of our rights. Also, harrassment is illegal and any officers participating in it are nothing more than neo-nazis.

I wonder what the Pershing Country Sheriff's dept would do without the millions of dollars that we "gift" to them for "protecting us". Maybe one day they'll find out. I feel sorry for the state of Nevada should they drive out the burners. We're talking about millions upon millions of dollars in revenue that they will lose should they force us to abandon this isolated piece of desert.

[unjonharley]

Dan, you know damn well the storys we get are pot headed slanted.. we never get the laws side..

People get a couple of things into your head..

It IS illegal to use drugs..

If your an addict and can't live without a fix, Do not take your drugs on the road to Burning Man..
Stay the fuck home..

If you not an addict and think Burning Man is a drug play ground Stay the fuck home

The law at Burning Man has had a lot of practice nailing illegal drugs.. They are getting better each year..

If you are arrested for illegal drugs stop your whining and take your lumps you whining bitch

[BitterDan]

Yeah I guess you're right unjon. I've never had a problem but I am also not stupid.

[AntiM]

So, where does it say marijuana is a civil liberty or a constitutional right? I missed that in class. No, I am not going to debate it.

Thats not really the point AntiM. I don't think people are saying that it is our constitutional right to smoke pot but illegal search and seizure is absolutely a violation of our rights. Also, harrassment is illegal and any officers participating in it are nothing more than neo-nazis.

I wonder what the Pershing Country Sheriff's dept would do without the millions of dollars that we "gift" to them for "protecting us". Maybe one day they'll find out. I feel sorry for the state of Nevada should they drive out the burners. We're talking about millions upon millions of dollars in revenue that they will lose should they force us to abandon this isolated piece of desert.

Since I've had nothing but positive interactions with the LEOs and haven't been subjected to harassement, perhaps I did miss the point. But that doesn't truly invalidate my point either. My sympathies only run so far.

I've heard a 129 citations stat floating about, not a very big number for 50K participants.

[BitterDan]

Citations I can deal with. You got what you deserved if you were doing drugs out in the open. It's the stories of open harassment and violations of rights that urk me. I've never had a problem with LEOs at BM and, in fact, I've found most uniformed officers to be quite jovial.

There was one BLM Ranger that seemed to be following me around while I was cleaning up MOOP on the 9 oclock plaza which I found strange. Maybe he was waiting for me to pick up some drugs and then bust me? I doubt it though. Probably just stoner paranoia.

The only real incident we had this year was when the sheriff shut us down and searched the bar. I'm certain they found some contraband lying around but they can't pin on us anything that is just left there by patrons and they didn't bother trying.

Rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't do it on the streets of your hometown don't do it on the streets of burning man. Some people just have to learn that the hard way.

[gyre]

I don't do drugs on the playa but I still get solicited by cops.
I would happily see burning man move the fuck out of nevada for a more pleasant time.
I'm ready to go.

Only thing I liked about the regionals is less police criminality.
It does make a difference.

And don't forget, being innocent is only a defense after you're arrested, go to jail, hire an attorney and go to trial.

Fuck Nevada.

Maybe an indian territory somewhere would like our event?

[BitterDan]

Gyre, we'll just move to secret regionals as many others burners have done. I fear that we'll have to give up the playa to the candy-kids for now.

[PsychMaster510]

I came across a similar thread before I left for BRC and it totally fascinates me. I don't do illegal drugs anymore (in general, occasionally weed) for the record but many of my friends are walking pharmacies, hence my interest. Here are my two cents:

First of all, consider that this thread is inherently biased, meaning that the majority of people compelled to post here have a unusual passion about it, which obviously often means that they either saw or were involved in a bust at some point. I personally saw people rolling/doping/coking their ASSES off everywhere I looked, so given the probable number of people on drugs in BRC versus a typical city of 50,000, there were probably a fairly low number of busts given the level of patrol.

In terms of personal experience, one of my friends got busted for smoking in a big dome last year and saying yes to an undercover who asked for a hit (foolish on both counts) and a guy did wander into our camp this year on the second or third day asking for some E which set our alarm bells off.

I would hesitate to use the word "stupid", but in most cases it seems that people getting busted are not fully aware of their surroundings or are offering or sharing with people they don't know. I have many friends who are on something constantly at the burn and have been going for multiple years and only one has been busted, once.

Be aware, and if you're going to play the game, be prepared for the consequences.

[uncle sticky]

I saw some stats somewhere, but don't remember. I think numbers of cites were down this year, which kind of makes sense given the conditions and the fact that people now know that enforcement will be more aggressive. BLM was very visible, especially at the big sound camps. Lots of undercovers working the crowd, dressed pretty authentically "burner." Dark cars cruising the playa, parked at the fringes of the sound camps and art installations. You need to be aware the Feds (BLM) are very aware of drug use at the event, and they are actively policing, including undercover.

I've been approached several times for drugs over the last few years, which is kind of funny. I'm older (41), have short hair, and although I do like to wear some pretty funky stuff, I do look like someone who has a fairly regular life outside of the burn.

The enforcement comes mostly from the Federal side, not Nevada, so moving the burn wouldn't accomplish much. We had a raft and camp party raided this year by the BLM because they figured out that a good number of local burners attended.

[gyre]

Raided how?
They just showed up and searched everyone?

Why put any money into federal hands when they have no respect for us or the law?

I'll have to call the blm office again.
Here's my suggestion.
Do your fucking jobs and quit trying to persuade people to commit crimes.

I suppose going after drugs means all the theft at burning man has been stopped?

Maybe when I can afford to do a big camp, I'll just go to Bhutan.
They seem to actually want my money there.
It seems clear someone wants to make the burn unpleasant or at least soak as much money as possible from it.
Same thing really.
Seriously, there must be an indian tribe that could be helped by our money and actually wants us there.


We had a big folk festival in the mountains near here.
The cops decided to arrest as many people as possible.
They did illegal searches, etc, etc.
Maybe they wanted to stop younger people from coming?

It still goes on, but no one here attends.
It is very small now.
The word went out- don't go!
Now those kids are the people with families and extra money.
I don't know one person who ever went back.

[Lifeisshort]

Lets see; Burning Man and Drugs....... Reality check- eliminate the drugs and there will be no Burning Man. Sure you straight asses think that it would continue, but I am fairly certain that a very large percentage of the participants are using! Lets take a look at what is happening with Bonnaroo. The police started arresting and fining people left and right and now it is a "family event". If that is what you wish Burning man to become have at it! I prefer my Burn with a little bit of an edge, drugs and all! (oh and I personally don't do drugs)

[Toolmaker]

Lets see; Burning Man and Drugs....... Reality check- eliminate the drugs and there will be no Burning Man. Sure you straight asses think that it would continue, but I am fairly certain that a very large percentage of the participants are using!

I disagree.. I came across alot of ppl that are straight edge or just drinkin the booze all week. I think if drugs disappeared than folks would still show up. Next year I will likely be sober all week long.. maybe the occasional beer.

[vertigo900]

Black Rock City is not Baghdad!!! Law enforcement at Burning Man should not include harassment or entrapment of the participants!!! Just because I'm at a private event on BLM land doesn't give the LEOs the right to harass me for changing my camera battery because they think it looks like a weed pipe and threaten to search my camp! Nor does it entitle them to share their fabricated story of recently taking an E-tab, offering to eat random girls out giving a guy a blow job and all told in front of my mom and sister while someone's 9 year old son is in a nearby tent! Just to try to bro down with me to find out what I was taking tonight. Nor does it give the LEOs the right to entrap my neighbors by insisting on trading an apple for a joint and ruin their entire burn! They are getting desperate and hurting innocent people. Want a job to do? Go catch the f'n aholes assaulting women in BRC!!! After nine years attending BM I plead for the BORG AND FELLOW BURNERS TO WAKE UP!!! Our community is being unjustly harrassed by undercover narcotics officers from the same Prison Industrial Complex that builds more prison labor camps in the US than schools. Is this your idea of an American Dream? I don't care if only a few hundred out of thousands are being busted; thousands are being unjustly harassed, and tens of thousands are being intimidated! Innocent or not, this is wrong!!! This absolutely must be addressed by the BORG and the BM community! Your silence = consent.

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."--Martin Luther King, Jr.

For me, Burning Man is based on self-reliance, personal responsibility, and most importantly liberation of the self from the societal conditionings such as social roles, classes and stigmas, sexual orientation, materialism, advertising, news media, TV programming, money, societal taboos, etc. to create an experimental community where the participants can evaluate and question the default worlds failures and successes and test new ways of being.

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir...but let's be real though; the determining factor of whether a substance is considered legal or illegal is bs. The main factor that determines it's labeling is how much money the pharmaceutical industry will earn from it and depths of desires to financially line the pockets and fund the campaigns of the heavily-lobbied elected governmental officials and appointed gov't agents. Further, any drug, media outlet, or person helping inform people, question our reality and see our path as a civilization and species scares the crap out of the elite, the world bankers, and governmental leaders. Whether it's chemicals, food, water, sex, religion, television programming, entertainment, sports, news, or exercise, everything should be consumed in moderation and with respect to it's power, influence, and stress on the body and mind. Everything is a medicine and a poison. We as a people have authorized our elected government to regulate all foods and substances. However, our democratic government has become corrupted by capitalism and is now a corporate and banker run puppet government. This has led to another a new industry called the prison industrial complex, which is another heavy lobby preventing The LEOs are probably all good people just doing their multi-faceted job. But the majority of their work practiced on the playa is drug law enforcement which includes trying to set our fellow burners up and take anyone in their company down with them. Not investigating the numerous assault cases. Not arresting intoxicated mv drivers. Not arresting bike thieves and camp burglars.

Nearly every morning in BRC, I set my alarm for 5:30 AM to photograph the sunrises. And nearly every morning I have witnessed the LEOs speeding around the playa from one raver to another. I see them driving around in their unmarked SUVs hunting for anything they can hassle people for. Sleeping on the playa at sunrise...GET UP AND GO TO BED. Somebody digging in their pocket...WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND? LET ME SEE WHAT'S IN YOUR POCKETS! I am not f'n kidding. They totally F'N ruined our neighbors first burn because he was in the presence of someone who got SWAT team-style busted for trading a joint for an apple after the undercover absolutely insisted on trading him something. I've been hassled at my camp for even changing my cameras battery that resembled a pipe! WHAT DID YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND?!!! GIVE ME YOUR PIPE OR WE'LL BRING A DOG IN AND SEARCH YOUR ENTIRE CAMP!!!!! F U jerks!!! It was a camera battery!!! One undercover invited himself into my camp and proceeded to share his story how he had just taken ecstasy, then propositioned some women for sex, then gave a guy a blow job and now he's in my camp asking me what I was on tonight in front of my mom and sister! Nearby my friends nine year old was hanging out in a tent. I almost flipped my f'n lid! They lurk around Opulent Temple with glow sticks and badges asking and looking. I'm F'N tired of this!!! They are running loose without any oversight. I don't even do drugs, I don't smoke weed and I rarely drink or even take Ibuprofen (but that's your decision and responsibility if you do) and I still get harassed because I like to attend Burning Man and dance to electronic music!!! Black Rock City is not Baghdad!!! If you want to play rambo, go join the military. Law enforcement tactics at Burning Man should not include harassment or entrapment! We all work really hard all year and spend a crap load of money to make BRC a sanctuary from that world and don't to be harassed! We deserve better representation by the BM ORG to reduce Law Enforcement harassment and entrapment or we need to move this community onto private lands! I can't continue to support this behavior by the the undercover narcotics officers.

[unjonharley]

Lets see; Burning Man and Drugs....... Reality check- eliminate the drugs and there will be no Burning Man. Sure you straight asses think that it would continue, but I am fairly certain that a very large percentage of the participants are using! Lets take a look at what is happening with Bonnaroo. The police started arresting and fining people left and right and now it is a "family event". If that is what you wish Burning man to become have at it! I prefer my Burn with a little bit of an edge, drugs and all! (oh and I personally don't do drugs)

You just keep huffing that pipe until the law gets around to you.. Then you can start a thread here and whine about how unfair it is to get busted.. Then go play drop the soap with the big boys.. Keep it up until your butt holes so big you fall through and break your.. I'll go to Burning Man and injoy myself without the likes of you.. neck..

[gyre]

Don't ever refer to burning man as the real world.
In the real world, these narcs would vanish without a trace.
Burning man is a free ride for them, a happy hunting ground.

And the rape you're describing is the responsibility of the police, just like the safety of anyone in custody.
If you can't protect anyone, you have no right to commit the crime of locking them up.

The people running these federal groups are the same people that promoted the people CAUGHT conspiring to cover up the Ruby Ridge murders, by use of their authority.
And the attempt to cover up continues.

I think anyone using drugs at burning man is an idiot, including alcohol.
But I don't think they need to worry about any moral high ground.

Entrapment and official oppression are real crimes, not paper crimes like smoking dope or parking overtime.
I'll start worrying about "drug crimes" when they start dealing with theft and violence (other than by 'losing' police reports).

It's a money thing.
Why not just be honest and take bribes after they set up someone?
Better a robber than a thief.

[unjonharley]

intrapment your ass..

you bring drugs to Burning Man to play the game. You get busted and cry about it..

less than one part of one per cent are ticketed..

Anyone would be dumb to believe this intrapment crap..

If I were a cop this last year I would of had a feild day.. Dumb shits were lighting up down wind of me all the time.. Would have just had to follow my nose..

This leads me to believe the one crying intrapment are full of shit..

[gyre]

I'm saying it and I've filed a formal complaint about it too.
Just because they didn't get away with it, doesn't make it right.

And if you want someone who can talk about false prosecution from first hand experience, I can do that too.

They do whole film series about this crap now.
And just on the exposed cases too.
False prosecution is the worst criminal act possible.

Remember the guy on death row exonerated after a few years in Florida?
Died of aids after being raped on death row.
Same homicide as if the cop who arrested him held him down and fucked him.

How about the guy who spent twenty years in prison before being cleared?
They are still holding him on charges of attempted escape while he was falsely imprisoned.

Tip of the iceberg.

It can happen to anyone you know.


Also not too sure it's a good idea to give people nothing to lose if they get arrested.
That's what jail is now.

[GageNdG]

I've mentioned a few times that we enjoyed our nights, but were followed around consistently by LEO's...

It didn't occur to me until right now that maybe it was because we still carried our backpacks around at night. We usually ended up at Opulent Temple, which was on the other side of the city, so we didn't want to be needing something and not have it. I was using a waterproof (see-thru) case for all the little things (lip balm, sinus spray, visine, gum, etc..), and anything else I pulled out of my bag was solid (food, candy, alcohol, water, etc..). Maybe that is why they stalked us but never searched us.

From everything I've heard, I understand why the LEO's are there. And I also understand that we are all american citizens (or at least on american soil), consenting adults, and can maintain whatever state of body and mind we want, especially when it not pushed on others OR effects others.

I just think the LEO's should be policed as well, because who says radical self-reliance stops with the participants? If there are no limits or reprocussions against those who can garnish control based on suspicion, they will push the limits as well. There are all types of integrity in any profession, and the law is not above that. There will be some who don't necessarily believe in the 'innocent until proven guilty', or will 'create' a situation to 'prove' their suspicions...

If I told me daughter 'no candy tonight', she knows it's not allowed. But if her big sister knows she wants candy, gets the candy for her, tells her no one will know, decides to give in and do it, who is really at fault here? It would be different if she blatantly disregarded my decision and got a piece of candy right in my face...

I think that's all anyone is saying here, if I'm not mistaken. Purposely break the rules? You open yourself up to the consequences. Meet coersion and get talked into the spirit of radical self-expression by crossing the line by someone who is there to police it (not tease you with it)? That's the deal breaker...

Sober and back in the real world, jonesin for Decom!
GageNdG

[unjonharley]

And i'm saying the playa law dose not have to be improper to do there job.

I your useing drugs and stick your ass out on the playa..

You are not who you think you are. You are not doing what you think your doing.. And your not saying what you think your saying..
The drug is what you.. The drug is doing what your doing. And the drug is saying what your saying..

If you have alter yourself with a drug.. The drug has taken over and you yourself are out of control.. The drug has control of you.. That is what mind and mood altering substance is all about..

The man takes the drink, then the drink takes the man..

All the law on the playa has to do is pick you up, feed you a line of shit and you spill you guts..

All is fair in love and war..

[gyre]

Drug laws are all commercial and/or political.
I don't need to be protected from some idiot taking anything and missing the event.
I don't care if people are mainlining formaldehyde as long as they don't try to steal my bike.

Maybe if they actually did their job, you know, the hard part, they would have enough to do.
There is massive theft on the playa and most cops seem too incompetent to do the hard thing, actually stopping crime.

The thieves are laughing at them... and us for putting up with it.



How many federal agencies does it take to catch a bike thief in an enclosed space?

No one knows.

[GageNdG]

Then it will always be the reckless or unexperienced that face the penalties...

Anyone who uses ANYTHING to change the chemical makeup of their body will tell you they have control. It's only when it's done in excess, with inferior knowledge or irresponsibly, in part losing control, that you give in to whatever it is you've injested.

Keep in mind, this is with anything - A red bull (energy boost BUT legal AND you're still in control, just more energy), or an aspirin (thins the blood, allowing pain to subside... but you're still in control, right?). The same can be said with beer, wine, alcohol, and up the intake list. Some people 'lose control' after one drink. Some people don't even get a buzz off of one drink. Some people uses the 'legend' or 'reputation' of drinking or whatever to act how they really want to, but were afraid to, and then 'blame' it on the intake.

People use things for reasons that scope from one end of the spectrum to another, and no one can escape that. My mom, the sweetest woman you could ever meet, church going, loving, kind-hearted, became addicted to pain meds after a kidney surgery gone bad. After a while, she was irratic when NOT taking them, and normal when on them...

Ok, dinner time *kicks the soap box over to someone else*

[unjonharley]

Will go along with the idea that playa police are a waste of skin..

But if you report a stollen bike.. Face it your report would be so vag no one would be able to find it..

Camp raiders would be very hard to spot..

I'm sure if you locate your bike with proof, you could have police in recovering it..