to the fuckheads that stole my art car!!!!

[greenman]

Lost: red ice chest with cup holders in lid,lot's of alcohol,barn yard animal sound toy,waist mounted pa, and my feeling of safety and lack of fear for losing my things.......
Two drunken(?) a-holes decided to drive off in our art car,9:30 and esplanade,and proceded to speed across the playa at 40mph,ram into god knows what,steal our crap,smash our car and ?,I can only assume that many were affected in some negative manner by their actions,and assumed it was one of us later on......
My partner decided to give them a lecture instead of what I would have done , karma will find it's own path,but I at least wanted to see them removed from the event!
Two rangers were asked to help but said "there is nothing in the book about it" and walked away......
Any one have any info????????

[jaywalker]

Hey green, sucks what happened.

Next time take them back to some of the Villians

Karma will get them, or if you can remember their faces.......(where's the fucking evil grin icon)

yaj

[Jane Eric]

That fucking sucks, green.

This year we started taking the key out of Playa Air when we left the vehicle alone. It was a weird year, for sure.

[Lo5150]

I am wondering if these were the assholes who ran into the glass blowers art? I am not sure what is happening, but I got no help from Rangers this year also. It was sort of a "Its not my job" kind of reply everytime I saw something happening.

[Jane Eric]

It was one guy who launched himself onto the glass. Fuckwit.

[Alchemy]

The WICKERMAN 1970s (Christfurry Lee as the Larry) its a cheaky lil gem Id like to see on the big playa screen.Its about AN ASSHOLE who travels into a paradise of Pagan persuasion and starts being REALLY impolite.Infact hes a cop.So he invites himself to a little party the village is havin and steals some things and becomes the LIFE of the party barbique...Sorry about your loss my friend truely. If I can send you a copy of the film to be a kiss for your owwie Ill do it.Just tell me your address. I lost my 5 year Beater this year and I just finished reworkin her jewely yummy goodness.Her brakes gave out the day before thay got her and that just made her like even MORE PERFECT.
I now hang black lace over her picture in my living room..She will be missed. Alchemy.

[Badger]

Two rangers were asked to help but said "there is nothing in the book about it" and walked away......

Anytime Rangers are notified that a vehicle or art car was stolen it gets reported in where an 'allcom' announcement (all Rangers with radios are notified) is made. Ideally, any other Rangers in the vicinity will be aware of the situation and try to keep an eye out for the vehicle. That's what we do - or try to at least. What we don't do is drop everything we're doing and go searching for a vehicle that's been snagged due to inattention on the part of the owner.

We're not cops and we're not responsible for anyone's failure to keep their vehicle from being ripped off.

FYI, I worked seven grave shifts (and a day shift) on the playa this year. Graves seem to be the time when the majority of cars are snagged. In every instance in which someone came to Ranger HQ to report a vehicle stolen the car in question had either been left running or had the keys left in it. Although in writing this I'll give you the benefit of a doubt and assume that yours was the only one hot wired on the playa during the event. Still, your tone suggests that Rangers were useless in recovering your vehicle. Too bad I guess. We can't be everywhere and assist everyone who has something ripped off. We don't often give priority to dealing with theft - especially if the theft in question is something that could have been prevented.

[Kinetic]

"We don't often give priority to dealing with theft - especially if the theft in question is something that could have been prevented."

Yeah, I learned this the hard way, but I have to give the Rangers credit for being a lot more helpful and sympathetic than the Playa Info fuckwits. (No offense Flux if you read this, you worked there, your not part of the PI group I am referring to)

I lost a bike and other stuff but I was so impressed with the Rangers that I plan to volunteer to become one in 04. I also plan to have much better, easier to work bike locks so there's no excuses.

[Lo5150]

Jane Eric, why are you calling me a fuckwit? Because I made an error in what I said? Nice playa attitude.
My brother is a ranger, and said there was alot going on this year. I did not mean to offend any of the rangers-they are our heroes. In fact, next year I am going to volunteer. I just thought being called a name was a little excessive.

[Jane Eric]

Erm, no. I was calling the fuckwit who launched himself onto the glass a fuckwit.

And yes, I like to think I have the proper "Nice playa attitude".

[Grover]

"but I have to give the Rangers credit for being a lot more helpful and sympathetic than the Playa Info fuckwits.

Yay fuckwits!

[chickenfish]

dont fuckwit me

[Lo5150]

What I want to know is how do these cars make it out the gate with nobody noticing? I am a first timer, so excuse my ignorance.
I am still working on that machine that will keep the fuckwits out of BM. Sort of like the security thing you walk through at the airport. I need funding, though.
Lor

[chickenfish]

blarglegarf
the monkeybeaver stole me art car
this year she was the chickenfish no long, but the cumtwat monkeybeaver. time passes things change.
I wish they'd burn that damn man already so I could stop goin to the desert...

[Angry Butterfly]

somebody left an artcar at out camp, it was there when we were packing up, unfortunately it doesnt match the description of yours, I dont know what happend to it, if it ended up on or truck or what. I think we turned it in, I doubt very much we actually took it home although we joked about it, it was there at like 5 pm monday.

[cookie]

My art car was stolen too.

It was stolen at 10:00 and esplanade on Tuesday morning at about 8:00AM while I was right inside one of the domes relaxing.

I reported it to the rangers who told me that it was the second art car stolen that morning. They recovered the first one in 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, they didn't recover mine. One of our camp mates was riding a bike around at about 10:00AM unaware that our art car was stolen. They drove right past him and he knew that they weren't part of our camp. So he followed them on his bike half way across the camping area and waited until they parked and went into some bar.

He described the guy driving as a big burly guy, not in any sort of playa wear or costume, drinking cheap beer. Our campmate got into the art car and drove off without confronting them.

I went to the rangers later that afternoon and reported the car recovered.

The rangers that I talked to were very nice and helpful. I would ask though, if it's not you job to find stolen art cars...what is it your job to do?? Why are you there? To put out fires? To settle domestic disputes among people caping near each other? To make sure that no one fucks with the man?

Seriously, after 6 years at BM, this is the first time I've ever felt like I needed a police agency or ranger around. It sucks to have to lock up a bike or secure an art car before walking away from it.

The fucked up thing about my situation is that the person who stole our art car picked up two guys on the playa and offered them rides. One of them left a water container on the art car.

The guy who left the water container found us somehow, though I don't know how since we weren't mapped (We were the Karma Police) and asked for it back. I then told them that the art car had been stolen and they should try back later if it was recovered. They came back a second time after we found the car and got their water container. We asked them about the person they were riding with and they played dumb.

It's funny that the guys who were looking for their water bottle were able to find us, but we had to recover the art car ourselves.

[Badger]

I would ask though, if it's not you job to find stolen art cars...what is it your job to do??

Our 'job' is not to be police. Our job is to not expend our resources dealing with people who fail to take responsibility for their their own positive experiences on the playa. This includes taking into account that BRC - contrary to some people's perceptions - is not this autonomous zone where the world's ugly realities (like theft) are left at the gate upon entry to the event. Yeah, it sucks that theft happens. Yeah, it sucks that there are still clueless fucks that slur "nice tits" when you ride by on a bike. But just because you think it sucks that you have to lock up your bike when you ride it in a small town of 30,000 people doesn't mean that the Rangers or anyone else are beholden to mopping up after your failure to act according to these ugly truths.

Why are you there? To put out fires?

Sometimes.

To settle domestic disputes among people caping near each other?

Absolutely.

To make sure that no one fucks with the man?

Yep.

If you figure that on average there are maybe - maybe - 30 Rangers on any given shift throughout the day that comes out to 1 ranger for every thousand people. At any time we're dealing with injuries (1200+ this year), people in severly altered states, dehydration, rampant speeding of vehicles, drunken disturbances that may (or may not) end up in physical altercations, people capturing images of naked folks for whatever reasons, camp disturbances, structural failures, domestic disturbances, boundary issues of camps involving scores of pissed off people, assault, nut cases, plane crashes, gate crashers, lost participants, dosing, excessive noise complaints, ambulance and air evacuations.

Deaths.

Now, I'd ask you, in the Great Playa Scheme of Things how much time, effort and committment of our resources do you realistically expect us to provide not only to you but to the other 10, 15, 20 people who come in every shift complaining that their bike or art car has been stolen because they failed to lock the damn thing up?

Maybe you'll start to get an idea. Maybe you won't. What I know is that as a volunteer for the Rangers I give of my available time to assist the greatest number of people in a way that enriches the experience for the greatest number of people. That's not a hard and fast rule by any means. The formula - the calculus - for that is a very personal one for each person who coughs up anywhere from 8 to 40+ hours of their playa time to volunteer in what's often a thankless job. Unfortunately you don't find much sympathy on the part of most Rangers when you're 'emergency' - your inconvienience - is something that came about because you failed to take responsibility for your own experience.

[DangerMouse]

To quote an arab proverb...

Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel.

Wise advice in the desert. =)

I'm sorry your car/bike/item of immeasurable worth was stolen by asshats.

Leaving your bike unlocked, or keys in your car are like leaving your purse/wallet on the seat of your car only to come back with a broken window. People, by nature, want power over other people.

[mcsean]

hey Dangermouse;;

love the allah quote thanks--
dont know if i buy the "people , by nature" thought though--prob with the words nature or instinct for example is they tend to End the discussion--b/c if its "by Nature" what more can we say--i think there may be less sweeping explanations for some of the stuff happening out on the playa ..and down the street here in hayward, ..... or example , check out a book called "Violence, Reflections on a National Epidemic" author is James Gilligan....truely awesome , carefully argued book that challenges EVERY received notion about violence (and other such behavior, like stealing) and not only uncovers their flaws, but he also generates a complex theory of his own----its a mind bending (in its clarity!) book

[blikum]

suggestion: we put a master electrical switch with a removable key in our art car. with the key removed, NOTHING would work... even hotwiring would prove useless.

[Marvinator]

Deaths.

This fascinates and surprises me as it is one of the few things of which I've not read a word in print, or heard about. May I write you privately on this subject?
or, you can write me at synchronicity@comcast.net

[Jesus]

Badger, thanks for the eloquent, insight-producing (in me, anyway) message about Ranger work.

Re. Deaths: Marvinator: Well, if you do the math (combine guesses of the average human lifespan (convert to days), # humans at burning man, average # of days spent at the event, etc. properly - it isn't hard), you'll be shocked how many people can be expected to die at the event, before factoring in the extreme conditions. Amazing how detached people are from reality.

Mean people suck. But I highly doubt they're reading this forum.

[nitro]

jesus; i burried my "mean people suck" patch the day i read "and nice people swallow"........
now, regarding the stolen stuff, the day i got mine stolen was a compliment for me...someone wanted to possess my "creation"....if every one was coming to the playa with the "you can have it if you want it" attitude, perhaps things would get more relaxed for a few of you...after all, if you can't loose it, don't bring it with you....the man is build and BURNED for apples sake.....and yes, i knew i was taking chances every time i left my unlocked bike out there......and i did leave it MANY times, day and night..........

[Badger]

"you can have it if you want it" attitude, perhaps things would get more relaxed for a few of you...

I'll stop doubting your sincerity as soon as you prove to us know that you 1) stopped locking your car in the parking lot of a large mall after midnight or 2) stopped locking your home/apartment door before you go to work every day.

Short of that you're playing lip service to a fairly bogus ideal that most people at the burn don't subscribe to.

The bottom line is that theft is theft. Period.

Sorry I don't have the URL for the mailer that went out this summer with the article that addresses theft.

[Isotopia]

Sorry I don't have the URL for the mailer that went out this summer with the article that addresses theft.

Here it is.

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/newsletters/2003-summer/03_news_sum_7.html

[nitro]

badger- i don't have to prove anything to you or anybody else..... sincerity can have a naive flair whereas the predator seeks to strike..... i would speculate that the thieves are probably "newcomers" that did not get it YET (it would be interesting to have feedback from rangers/LE here)... i believe that the spirit of the event eventually sinks inn with returning burners(the real keepers of the events' spirit) with their active participation....the form might change over the years but, so far, the content remains alive and kicking......
for the record:
a) what is your authority to speek for "most people at the burn"?
b) a parking lot of a large mall at ANY time would be one of the last places to find me...
a bon entendeur: salut.

[billvaxman]

"but I have to give the Rangers credit for being a lot more helpful and sympathetic than the Playa Info fuckwits.

Hey.. I worked at Playa Info... I never got my FUCKWIT Badge. I feel so used now !!!!

[(pEEf)]

I had a little 3-wheeled electric art car, and with some amount of forethought, I put REALLY LOUD buzzer on it that would sound if someone tried to turn it on. Without fail, some FUCKWIT would try to steal it every single time I left it out on the playa for more than a few minutes.

Thank god it only happened 1 time at my camp, (it was loud enough to wake everyone up!) but it just goes to show you how many free-range fuckwits are roaming the playa!

I recommend a booby-trap such as mine to really embarass the unsuspecting fuckwit. Maybe turning the negative situation into something funny will at least put a positive spin on the situation!

[thehunt]

I've lost my bike before, but losing an art car, or having it stolen, would really suck

[DVD Burner]

To quote an arab proverb...

Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel.

Wise advice in the desert. =)

I'm sorry your car/bike/item of immeasurable worth was stolen by asshats.

Leaving your bike unlocked, or keys in your car are like leaving your purse/wallet on the seat of your car only to come back with a broken window. People, by nature, want power over other people.

This thread cracks me up.
being from new york, when I first came to california I thought it was the most amazing thing to see people just leave their cars , running, with keys in the car, windows open.....amazing.

that was 20 years ago and I still think it's the most amazing thing to do.
sorry if anybody looses anything do to neglect.
take heed to the advise above.