I'm on STRIKE!!!!!

[motskyroonmatick]

As of the time stamp on this post I am on strike.

I will not plan for or prepare for my Theme Camp Black Rock City Welding and Repair or Stag Camp 9 where I am Mayor.

I will not plan for or prepare for my gifts of The Night Time Warming Station, BRCW+R Radio Station, Flight Club or the Bondage Barber Chair.

I will not volunteer at, donate to or attend anything Burning Man related.

I will not promote Burning Man, The Burn, or the philosophies surrounding such unless it is in support of fellow strikers.

I will be on strike until I'm satisfied with the level of transparency the BM Org delivers as to how Commodification Camps were preferentially treated in the past and what concrete changes will be made regarding how Commodification Camps will be treated in the future.

[Sandstorm]

As of the time stamp on this post I am on strike.

GOOD. FOR. YOU.

[Savannah]

Good Morning, Motzy!

[Leo]

If enough burners follow your example, then perhaps the BMORG will get a clue.

[changoloco]

That'll teach 'em.

[Sham]

If enough burners follow your example, then perhaps the BMORG will get a clue.

If enough burners follow your example, maybe getting tickets won't be so difficult.

[unjonharley]

If enough burners follow your example, then perhaps the BMORG will get a clue.

If enough burners follow your example, maybe getting tickets won't be so difficult.

plus1

[Elderberry]

Hope you're not cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[Aurelia]

Try enjoying your every day
and like a true burner

Live and breathe anew

xoA.

[Ratty]

If enough burners follow your example, maybe getting tickets won't be so difficult.

If only............I'll tell you if I'm on strike or not after the ticket sale.

[Sham]

Hope you're not cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Have you seen his face?

[Aurelia]

I have seen your face
and I like it

bm and its lifeblood is a living breathing force we are

xoA.

[motskyroonmatick]

Thanks for the positive comments guys!!!! It's the tenth hour of the strike and I feel good.

All negative comments are being ignored. The people that make them are being added to my Eleventh Principle list

"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning."— Frederick Douglass

[Sandstorm]

Thanks for the positive comments guys!!!! It's the tenth hour of the strike and I feel good...

motskyroonmatick: FYI, last night I put started 4 different threads on FB about your strike. I wanted to try to get some eyes on your wonderful act of defiance.

[motskyroonmatick]

Thanks for the positive comments guys!!!! It's the tenth hour of the strike and I feel good...

motskyroonmatick: FYI, last night I put started 4 different threads on FB about your strike. I wanted to try to get some eyes on your wonderful act of defiance.

Thanks Sandstorm!!!

Burners! If you feel strongly about the Commodification camp issue speak out or continue speaking out. Take action. If you stay silent no one knows you care.



"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."—Frederick Douglass

[some seeing eye]

You might reach out to artist Marco Cochrane and to the Pier Group. It would be valuable to see a guild of Burning Man artists shaping art policy at the event, including funding, rights and advising new artists. I am concerned about the role of art at the event long term. But I do not have an answer.

[Sandstorm]

Thanks Sandstorm!!!

Burners! If you feel strongly about the Commodification camp issue speak out or continue speaking out. Take action. If you stay silent no one knows you care.

I love your spirit.

You might reach out to artist Marco Cochrane and to the Pier Group. It would be valuable to see a guild of Burning Man artists shaping art policy at the event, including funding, rights and advising new artists. I am concerned about the role of art at the event long term. But I do not have an answer.

FYI, last week a well-connected and VERY reliable source told me that the Pier Crew has bailed on BM. Apparently THE BORG screwed them over badly during this year's burn. I'm just sharing that info, not saying that it's 100% accurate.

[trilobyte]

Sandstorm - speaking personally, my understanding is that decision has nothing to do with turnkey camping or gentrification, and everything to do with the shit they pulled with the piece. From the get-go they were told that the thin wood skin structure could not be burned, and for months Matt made like they understood and acknowledged that. It was only after they'd rolled more than 30 tractor trailers worth of material onto the playa that it was learned that they didn't book a return trip, and that they were going to just torch the piece anyways. The fire safety issues were very real, those thin wood pieces would carry burning embers further and wider than timbers, and made up a much larger percentage of the structure than other previous burns. The compromise that was reached was that so long as the winds didn't shift it would burn it Friday morning, so FAST (the fire art safety team) and other groups involved in the safety end of things could both try and get enough coverage and better spot trouble in the sky. If true, I hope they never come back.

Mots - good for you, I guess. I can't say I agree with your feelings on the subject or your course of action, but as long as it works for you then huzzah. Hopefully it means just a quieter off-season or later start than usual, but if that means taking the year off I understand.

As for the turnkey camping issue, there will be more information coming soon. The official blog post that said they're working on it wasn't kidding. While turnkey camps and discussions about them at HQ aren't new, they've been front and center over the last few months. I'm not a party to any of those discussions, but I'm very interested to see what comes of them.

[Leo]

Trilobyte,
Let's get the terminology straight. We are talking about COMMODIFICATION CAMPS (aka Safari Camps) not turnkey camps. Turnkey is the term used by the BMORG to downplay the issue of commodification. I hope the spin isn't too thick on December 2nd.

[Sandstorm]

Sandstorm - speaking personally, my understanding is that decision has nothing to do with turnkey camping or gentrification, and everything to do with the shit they pulled with the piece.

Trilo: Thanks for your post and all the details contained within it about the situation with the Pier Crew recent dealings with THE BORG. It wasn't my intention to imply that the Pier Crew has bailed on BM because of the ComCamp Controversy. My apologies if my post read that way. Your information about what happened on the playa between the Pier Crew and THE BORG regarding Embrace actually dovetails perfectly with the info that I was recently given about that situation. It seems that my source heard a Pier Crew-friendly version of what happened on the playa regarding Embrace. Thanks for giving me the actual details about that situation.

It's interesting to hear from you that THE BORG actually has been internally addressing the fallout from Jim Tananbaum's Plug & Play Paradise. At this point I have no faith in Larry & Co. Still, I'm curious to see what they end up rolling out to Burners about the ComCamp situation.

[Jovankat]

You might reach out to artist Marco Cochrane and to the Pier Group. It would be valuable to see a guild of Burning Man artists shaping art policy at the event, including funding, rights and advising new artists. I am concerned about the role of art at the event long term. But I do not have an answer.

Or Dan Fox, assuming this is comment on Caveat's ill conceived blog entry is real;

Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 2.17.44 PM.png

[Sandstorm]

Or Dan Fox, assuming this is comment on Caveat's ill conceived blog entry is real;

Nice catch.

[digital]

Sandstorm - speaking personally, my understanding is that decision has nothing to do with turnkey camping or gentrification, and everything to do with the shit they pulled with the piece. From the get-go they were told that the thin wood skin structure could not be burned, and for months Matt made like they understood and acknowledged that. It was only after they'd rolled more than 30 tractor trailers worth of material onto the playa that it was learned that they didn't book a return trip, and that they were going to just torch the piece anyways. The fire safety issues were very real, those thin wood pieces would carry burning embers further and wider than timbers, and made up a much larger percentage of the structure than other previous burns. The compromise that was reached was that so long as the winds didn't shift it would burn it Friday morning, so FAST (the fire art safety team) and other groups involved in the safety end of things could both try and get enough coverage and better spot trouble in the sky. If true, I hope they never come back.

This is accurate. It was the big drama on playa this year with FAST. Not only did the artist use thin pieces of wood but laminated wood which creates a huge MOOP problem. The decision to burn in the AM was a wind factor as well as to burn it with the least amount of people nearby, for safety. The artist was not happy about it but also in clear violation of the contract to use proper materials (and take the piece home).

Let's be careful not to blur issues.

[Bless]

I really enjoyed it burning during daylight (regardless of the reason behind it). I wish more pieces were burned in the morning.

[theCryptofishist]

I love the smell of fire in the morning...

[General Disorder]

I think the real tell on whether or not the pier crew intended to burn Embrace is whether or not they purchased and spread disintegrated granite base rock under the project. If it was intended to be hauled away there would be no dg

[Ratty]

General Disorder, You don't need a 'tell'. It was known before the gates even opened that it would be burned. The time and place were set. He was in dutch with the powers that be. You can google it.

[Finnegan]

Dear Mots,

Many of us will join you on the picket line.

[mdmf007]

Light flashy fuels like that create such a problem for Fire and ESD as a whole - Safety is the priority to the participants and firefighters / medics hands down. Doing calculations on a structure like this is incredibly hard, because there are really no accurate examples to simulate or even ballpark behavior. Every major burn at BMAN has been modeled so we can have some clue as to what to expect. Things like the Oil Derrick or Temples built with traditional materials are easy to model and can be done accurately. Light flashy fuels screw up calculations so we are extra cautious.

I love mayhem and fire as much as anyone else, but if an at piece is dropping dinner plate sized embers into the city or showering sparks into the crowd does not lend towards safety. I did not enjoy going to a briefing at 0400 for a burn 6 hours later either, but understood the benefits of the most static atmosphere as well.

just my 2 cents for what its worth.

[Roundabout]

Sandstorm - speaking personally, my understanding is that decision has nothing to do with turnkey camping or gentrification, and everything to do with the shit they pulled with the piece. From the get-go they were told that the thin wood skin structure could not be burned, and for months Matt made like they understood and acknowledged that. It was only after they'd rolled more than 30 tractor trailers worth of material onto the playa that it was learned that they didn't book a return trip, and that they were going to just torch the piece anyways.

General Disorder, You don't need a 'tell'. It was known before the gates even opened that it would be burned. The time and place were set. He was in dutch with the powers that be. You can google it.

That's confusing....