LA Times: Burning Man becomes a hot academic topic

[Mosin]

Featured on the front page of the LATimes web site this evening...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-burning-man-20101020,0,3074357.story

[junglesmacks]

The comments are just lovely..

[AntiM]

Someone hasn't read the Afterburn report. That, and of course Burning Man is for profit in the long run. No one ever said it wasn't.

[jkisha]

The comments are just lovely..

Takes all kinds, I guess.

Interesting that she would say that "bike theft is rampant out there". Strange the things she thought important to mention.

JK

[Bob]

Everybody's entitled to their opinions, but I generally refuse to help academics and writers with their homework.

[David M]

I tried to write my own version of the obligatory "burning man sucks don't go" comment this morning when i saw this article, but the LA Times didn't allow it.

Maybe I went to far when I wrote participants regularly develop staph infections from the porta potties.

Seriously though, reading news articles online has become difficult lately as it is hard to ignore the ignorant garbage posted after every article. Just wait, soon there will be a comment on how burning man is no longer fun due to all the "illegals" and Obama's socialist agenda.

[bluesbob]

The comments are just lovely..

Takes all kinds, I guess. :(

Interesting that she would say that "bike theft is rampant out there". Strange the things she thought important to mention.

JK

Well, when a group of friends and I go for our first time, and during the course of the week 25% of our bikes are stolen...we tend to remember that as a major part of our trip.

If we don't want it mentioned we need to stop the bike theft rings which are operating there. And by the evidence I saw in one week there are organized groups there for the sole purpose of stealing. Maybe if LEO's weren't so intent on making the world safer from pot we might actually find ourselves free of most crime.

[Ugly Dougly]

Hey, we're all wannabe hippies, did you know that?

[jkisha]

The comments are just lovely..

Takes all kinds, I guess.

Interesting that she would say that "bike theft is rampant out there". Strange the things she thought important to mention.

JK

Well, when a group of friends and I go for our first time, and during the course of the week 25% of our bikes are stolen...we tend to remember that as a major part of our trip.

If we don't want it mentioned we need to stop the bike theft rings which are operating there. And by the evidence I saw in one week there are organized groups there for the sole purpose of stealing. Maybe if LEO's weren't so intent on making the world safer from pot we might actually find ourselves free of most crime.

I'm not sure how credible that "bike theft ring" claim really is. I've been going to the event for five years and my partner for seven, and we have never had a bike stolen. We are with a theme camp and only one bike in all of that time has ever been stolen from anyone from our camp. (We did have a few people from time to time that THOUGHT their bikes had been stolen and they found them the next morning right where the left them the previous night though.)

And also we have never had any problem with LEO and drugs or anything else for that matter, so I don't agree with your characterization of their behavior either. Had there been a "large bicycle theft ring" working on the playa, I can't imagine they wouldn't have been found out and arrested. I mean a camp with a hundred(s) of bikes parked around it with no entertainment going on would be bound to attract some level of suspicion.

Maybe somebody can post a credible link to the large bike theft ring info here.

JK

[Artemis]

Maybe somebody can post a credible link to the large bike theft ring info here.
JK

Someone mentioned earlier hearing an announcement Monday morning during exodus on BMIR about arrests made of folks involving what appeared to be a bike theft ring. I heard that announcement as well.

I know that what you were looking for was credible evidence and that us 2 eplayans' memory (and BMIR) may not meet your test of credibility. So I see your anecdotal evidence and raise you with hearsay.

[ygmir]

also:
in going back out late, it is amazing, how many bikes are scattered about the playa........literally hundreds.
abandon, or whatever.
and, this, after the donation bike place has taken all they can handle.
i'd say, "theft" may well be, at times, some stoned hippie, getting on an unlocked bike, riding it somewhere, and walking off.......sort of "borrowing".
Or, someone "altered" enough, that they rode their bike somewhere, and, forgot where.

Lots of the bikes laying around out there are to nice to just be "abandon" by their owners.

[Artemis]

also:
in going back out late, it is amazing, how many bikes are scattered about the playa........literally hundreds.
abandon, or whatever.
and, this, after the donation bike place has taken all they can handle.
i'd say, "theft" may well be, at times, some stoned hippie, getting on an unlocked bike, riding it somewhere, and walking off.......sort of "borrowing".
Or, someone "altered" enough, that they rode their bike somewhere, and, forgot where.

Lots of the bikes laying around out there are to nice to just be "abandon" by their owners.

Seems like that accounts for a lot of it. But there are plenty of people who have reported having locks cut off, which clearly isn't just a "borrowing" hippie...

[jkisha]

Maybe somebody can post a credible link to the large bike theft ring info here.
JK

Someone mentioned earlier hearing an announcement Monday morning during exodus on BMIR about arrests made of folks involving what appeared to be a bike theft ring. I heard that announcement as well.

I know that what you were looking for was credible evidence and that us 2 eplayans' memory (and BMIR) may not meet your test of credibility. So I see your anecdotal evidence and raise you with hearsay.

Actually, hearing they were ARRESTED adds a lot of credibility to the story, at least for me. I just couldn't imagine a 'large ring of bike thieves' not getting caught out there.

JK

[jkisha]

also:
in going back out late, it is amazing, how many bikes are scattered about the playa........literally hundreds.
abandon, or whatever.
and, this, after the donation bike place has taken all they can handle.
i'd say, "theft" may well be, at times, some stoned hippie, getting on an unlocked bike, riding it somewhere, and walking off.......sort of "borrowing".
Or, someone "altered" enough, that they rode their bike somewhere, and, forgot where.

Lots of the bikes laying around out there are to nice to just be "abandon" by their owners.

Seems like that accounts for a lot of it. But there are plenty of people who have reported having locks cut off, which clearly isn't just a "borrowing" hippie...

I've heard that too, but just based on the people with a suspicious nature here on eplaya, I again would find it hard to believe that people could be roaming the playa with bolt cutters and not at least be questioned.

JK

[Bounce530]

and is there really that much of a black market for playa-ized bikes? Given the amount of effort of the trip alone, plus having to refurb the 'stolen' bikes. Sounds like alotta work for little return.

[jkisha]

and is there really that much of a black market for playa-ized bikes? Given the amount of effort of the trip alone, plus having to refurb the 'stolen' bikes. Sounds like alotta work for little return.

ya, that definitely makes sense.

JK

[theCryptofishist]

also:
in going back out late, it is amazing, how many bikes are scattered about the playa........literally hundreds.
abandon, or whatever.
and, this, after the donation bike place has taken all they can handle.
i'd say, "theft" may well be, at times, some stoned hippie, getting on an unlocked bike, riding it somewhere, and walking off.......sort of "borrowing".
Or, someone "altered" enough, that they rode their bike somewhere, and, forgot where.

Lots of the bikes laying around out there are to nice to just be "abandon" by their owners.

Seems like that accounts for a lot of it. But there are plenty of people who have reported having locks cut off, which clearly isn't just a "borrowing" hippie...

I've heard that too, but just based on the people with a suspicious nature here on eplaya, I again would find it hard to believe that people could be roaming the playa with bolt cutters and not at least be questioned.

JK

All someone has to do is tell us it's part of his project adn we disappear into the ether again.

(I know, not helping. Sorry, I'll get out of the thread drift now.)

[Artemis]

I've heard that too, but just based on the people with a suspicious nature here on eplaya, I again would find it hard to believe that people could be roaming the playa with bolt cutters and not at least be questioned.
JK

During my first year my friend's combo lock jammed and wouldn't open. She went to a ranger station and found someone with a bolt cutter. He was not wearing a ranger uniform or anything that suggested he was doing something official. He walked around (carrying this massive bolt cutter) about a block with us and around all the bikes near center camp. Not one person stopped or seemed surprised that someone with a bolt cutter was walking through the bike racks at center camp. This was in broad daylight. No one questioned us, no one even really glanced at us. So I don't find it hard to believe...

[bluesbob]

The comments are just lovely..

Takes all kinds, I guess. :(

Interesting that she would say that "bike theft is rampant out there". Strange the things she thought important to mention.

JK

Well, when a group of friends and I go for our first time, and during the course of the week 25% of our bikes are stolen...we tend to remember that as a major part of our trip.

If we don't want it mentioned we need to stop the bike theft rings which are operating there. And by the evidence I saw in one week there are organized groups there for the sole purpose of stealing. Maybe if LEO's weren't so intent on making the world safer from pot we might actually find ourselves free of most crime.

I'm not sure how credible that "bike theft ring" claim really is. I've been going to the event for five years and my partner for seven, and we have never had a bike stolen. We are with a theme camp and only one bike in all of that time has ever been stolen from anyone from our camp. (We did have a few people from time to time that THOUGHT their bikes had been stolen and they found them the next morning right where the left them the previous night though.)

And also we have never had any problem with LEO and drugs or anything else for that matter, so I don't agree with your characterization of their behavior either. Had there been a "large bicycle theft ring" working on the playa, I can't imagine they wouldn't have been found out and arrested. I mean a camp with a hundred(s) of bikes parked around it with no entertainment going on would be bound to attract some level of suspicion.

Maybe somebody can post a credible link to the large bike theft ring info here.

JK

I didn't go to the Critical Tits parade, so I guess it didn't happen.

[Teo del Fuego]

I didn't go to the Critical Tits parade, so I guess it didn't happen.

is that still going on?

[jkisha]

I didn't go to the Critical Tits parade, so I guess it didn't happen.

I can assure you that Critical Tits did indeed happen. As for the other unsubstantiated stories that always follow the event, I just go by "if it doesn't make sense to me, it's probably not true." And your original post seemed to have a definite bias against LE on the play, so it didn't help me in determining credibility.

I'll wait 'till the afterburn report thank you.

JK

[K-mom]

I've heard that too, but just based on the people with a suspicious nature here on eplaya, I again would find it hard to believe that people could be roaming the playa with bolt cutters and not at least be questioned.
JK

During my first year my friend's combo lock jammed and wouldn't open. She went to a ranger station and found someone with a bolt cutter. He was not wearing a ranger uniform or anything that suggested he was doing something official. He walked around (carrying this massive bolt cutter) about a block with us and around all the bikes near center camp. Not one person stopped or seemed surprised that someone with a bolt cutter was walking through the bike racks at center camp. This was in broad daylight. No one questioned us, no one even really glanced at us. So I don't find it hard to believe...

here's an interesting story/social experiment called Steal This Bike, done in Portland; actually I think I first read this on the way to BM in 2006:

http://wweek.com/editorial/3242/7923

[Fire_Moose]

I carry around bolt cutters to free enslaved green bikes.


Would you have a problem with that?

[jkisha]

I carry around bolt cutters to free enslaved green bikes.


Would you have a problem with that?

No, you should be commended.

JK

[Isotopia]

I'm not sure how credible that "bike theft ring" claim really is.

This is Burningman's version of urban lore.

Though there are bike thefts there is no theft ring.

Concerted efforts have been made over the years by Rangers and LEOs working in cooperation with DPW, Gate and BR Rangers to prove the existence of such a thing and every effort has yielded no proof. Nada.

[Fire_Moose]

such a great sig picture Iso.

[much2naughty2]

From the Moop comments I've read, it sounds like a bike ring that wanted lots of bikes could drive around on Monday and Tuesday after BM and pick up a truck load. Are there lots of bikes left behind for others to clean up and haul away?

[Fire_Moose]

Unfortunately i can't find a youtube clip...BUT



"YES!"

[gyre]

Sorry, but stealing bikes in groups is not a thoughtless error.

And many bring very expensive bikes, even without realizing it.

The Toronto bike ring was mythological.... until they caught them with their warehouses full of stolen bikes.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/ ... -bail.html