My 7:00 & D neighbor

[sakami]

Didn't know what to do with this video, we were eating on our RV and saw our neighbor who arrived with 2 green bike... and leaved with 2 zebra bike !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avf3rt0Tu9Q

Sorry for my bad english.

[Bob]

Most excellent. But sad.

[gaminwench]

playascum...

[lucky420]

Wow what an Asshat... makes me want to go tackle him (i'm a girl)

[Homiesinheaven]

next time let a Ranger know sakami! i'm not one for confrontations but shit like this is not cool. remember it's our community and our responsibility to make sure it's civil.

[Savannah]

Agreed . . .

Ranger outposts are usually located at Center Camp, 3:00 & C, and 9:00 & C. They also wander the streets in khaki clothing (often in kilts & boonie hats) looking to resolve conflicts. They wear the logo posted here on their site:

http://rangers.burningman.com/who.shtml

[junglesmacks]

WOW.. we have another top asshat!

[trilobyte]

No idea what to tell you. From what you say it sounds bad, but without having talked to the guy at the time, there's no way to know for certain they're even stolen. For all we know, they could have traded with somebody... or upgraded (still frowned upon) from one of the over 2,000 abandoned bikes at the end of the event. You should have asked your neighbor (or raised the issue with a ranger) at the time, all you've got now is a short clip showing someone packing up a bike.

[jkisha]

Fuck the Rangers, that was out and out theft. I would have found a real LEO.

[Raymaker]

and was the prat spraying directly onto the playa?

[junglesmacks]

No idea what to tell you. From what you say it sounds bad, but without having talked to the guy at the time, there's no way to know for certain they're even stolen. For all we know, they could have traded with somebody... or upgraded (still frowned upon) from one of the over 2,000 abandoned bikes at the end of the event. You should have asked your neighbor (or raised the issue with a ranger) at the time, all you've got now is a short clip showing someone packing up a bike.

No.. Tril.. take a look closer. That's a yellow (green) community beach cruiser and he's straight SPRAY PAINTING it.

[graidawg]

no wonder i couldnt find one of those bikes!

[Savannah]

They're lovely, but unpredictably found, at best. One of my friends encountered a girl who'd used tape to cover a community bike's identity all week.

As you can imagine, some choice words were exchanged.

[trilobyte]

Ah, I stand corrected.

What's there is a video of a guy painting a bike. Not a whole lot that can be done based on that clip.

Poor Sergey, he tries to do something nice and look how it goes...

[zenseed75]

I wish you would have went outside casually and said something.....

[deutlich]

It sounds like Sakami's first language is not English, from the comment he made at the end of his original post.

Given this, it may have been more difficult for him to make a decision about approaching the guy in the video. As fluent as I am in German, it's still my second language (read: I'm not that fluent) and I find I button up a LOT more often when I'm over there than when I would here.

I do think it would've helped had something more substantial been done in the moment, but it's too late now. Good lesson to learn for next time, though!

[sakami]

We are sure (100%) that it were green bike, i have something like 4mn of video and you can sometimes see the green color on the bike before he painted it.

We didn't make anything vs him because it was our first burning man for 4/5 of us, we don't speak very well english, and didn't wanted to have trouble with the camp just near to us. (we saw that on thursday..)

I did not uploaded this video just to report them, I was just wondering what I should have to do, maybe next time I better go to the rangers directly..

[zenseed75]

I do thank you for sharing. =)

[Elorrum]

perhaps I would have gone over to his camp with a can of spray paint, and started to spray items I liked, in order to take them home with ME>

[delle]

Now I'm all looking forward to seeing that area on the moop map. Tomorrow maybe?


I think we should keep this video alive as long as possible.... definitely posting it in the Asshats file would be a good idea, so he'll be remembered.

[Bounce530]

I wonder if that is somebody calling him out at 0:14.
Notice the graffiti on the RV also, so I'd bet he's also an art tagger. (As in went around tagging the art)
A 'Taggerpony' brought paint to tag and steal with, but not a bike. HUH-HA!

[BBadger]

That guy needs to be "tagged" with some bear mace.

[Bob]

perhaps I would have gone over to his camp with a can of spray paint, and started to spray items I liked, in order to take them home with ME>

Like what, his bindles of biker crank? The beach balls he tossed waiting for the Temple burn? His Stars & Bars do-rags?

Who does that? Those yellow bikes are only slightly better than the ones that Daly City stereo shop used to give out free with every eight-track player.

[lucky420]

The yellow bike was not his to paint over irregardless of its condition...

[Bob]

We are sure (100%) that it were green bike, i have something like 4mn of video and you can sometimes see the green color on the bike before he painted it.

We didn't make anything vs him because it was our first burning man for 4/5 of us, we don't speak very well english, and didn't wanted to have trouble with the camp just near to us. (we saw that on thursday..)

I did not uploaded this video just to report them, I was just wondering what I should have to do, maybe next time I better go to the rangers directly..

I appreciate that you uploaded the video, it's evidence of something that many people might think is just rumor. Theft and vandalism is not new at Burning Man, though that doesn't mean it should be tolerated or go unnoticed. Unfortunately, there aren't many Black Rock Rangers or police, and their main occupation is sight-seeing. Your best option may have been to talk to other neighbors about it.

[ygmir]

well, and really, even talking to others, I'd bet no one, would do anything........in general, folks there are in the "party/happy mode" and don't want to be confrontational.
I can hear it:
"yeah, that's shitty, but, it's only a bike among many...........he's such a dick"
"have a drink?"

[junglesmacks]

Your best option may have been to talk to other neighbors about it.

Ditto.. that and severe public shaming. Every chance you get.. don't let him forget about it.

"Hey asswipe.. how's that bike you stole doing?"


I wish more people would do this to people that are climbing and breaking art, too. Walk straight up and be like.. dude.. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING RIGHT NOW?

[Bob]

eta:

Actually, the DPW would have been the best people to contact, because the yellow bike program exists with their cooperation. Their "depot" is at the bottom of the 5:30 street, and the radio dispatcher at that location might have been able to provide assistance as appropriate.

[sakami]

I uploaded my "compilation" of our 4 video in better quality (4mn, 720p), if that can help..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUbaScpizU

[Bay Bridge Sue]

Yeah, looks like 3 or 4 guys, who look like they were extras in the movie Deliverance. ... notice the first one, he sprays, then stops, then looks around, then sprays... it's a guilty sorta thing, but he keeps on going. Then, you notice they kinda sorta move in the space between the RV's to paint some more. His friend prolly told him, "Dude, we better move our larcenous shit back here so ono one sees us ripping off the DPW yellow bikes"...

It's people like that that fuck things up for everyone out there, ya know... He needs a spray-paint can enema, methinks... tho he might just enjoy it too much.

Talk about asshats... I don't blame you for not confronting them (last thing you need is people like that who care that little about what's all of ours going after your camper/gear/etc next...) Woulda been interesting had someone from DPW shown up right about then... or a LEO... or even a ranger. And yeah, what are they gonna do with those crappy playa'd out bikes anyway - sell them on craigslist?

Wonder what ELSE they appropriated during BRC11? really - if they're that fucked up they gotta steal and spraypaint yellow bikes, makes me wonder if they're sneaking around camps boosting other shit as well...