Was anyone harassed at the "checkers gate" ?

[CapSmashy]

We caught a thief and sat on him until the police arrived once.
That was somewhat satisfying.

Most of them laugh at jail though.
They consider the profit margin well worth the few times they get caught.
Sentences are pathetic compared to drugs charges.

Knowing how most thieves view getting handed over to law enforcement and their subsequent "punishment" as being laughable at best, I tend to favor a more primitive, on the spot punishment for their actions.

The few times I have been able to hand out on the spot punishment to offenders has been priceless in terms of the looks on their faces when they realize you are not handing them off to the soft cushy hands of law enforcement.

[Simon of the Playa]

THIRT33N STOLE MY VIRGINITY and my SENSE OF SHAME!!!!



i want them back RIGHT NOW!

[trevkong]

[quote="Simon of the Playa"]THIRT33N STOLE MY VIRGINITY and my SENSE OF SHAME!!!!



i want them back RIGHT NOW![/quote]

I dunno about your virginity, but i'd be happy to try my best to re-instill the shame :twisted:

[DaddyMassive]

Not a problem with the checker gates taking stuff, but my story relates in some fashion.

Three crackers tried to mug my group for glow sticks on the Friday night.

Walking along the espenade, I was wearing what I considered a low amount of the things
2 one piece red, white & blue glow sticks around my neck,
2 sticks on my right wrist,
and a orb on a string necklace. (8 glowsticks conected with 2 eight way adaptors)

The three morons walked straight upto me, flashed badges around their necks, circled me and started babbling about confiscating my necklace for it's danger to their post BM cleaning duties.
They'd gone so far as to start lifting it off my person before I stopped them.
I'd lost my voice by this point in the week and couldn't really respond as eloquently as I normally manage.
They made a great deal of assumptions about my respect for the playa and state of intoxication as I croaked single word responses to their rants.
As I continued to refuse to relinquish the necklace two of them became increasingly agitated and agressive.
Unable to properly reply to their circular arguement, I walked around them to where my girlfriend was waiting a few steps away.
At this point they errupted, began swearing agressively in my face.
Literally jumping up and down and flailing their arms at me.

They then turned on my friend who, feeling he had sticks to spare(~14 in two chains on his arms), gave them one chain.

The theft was pretty minor but the way we were hit up was totally unacceptable.
Compared to other years and what people were wearing around us my party was being very discreet.
These guys were not interested in confiscating dropable glowsticks, they were trawling for the more intricate 'jewelry' for their own gain.
Another member of our camp was mugged in the same circumstanes that night when they were on their own.

I believe these muggers were part of the cleaners and they were fucking about with their 'power' to fuck with newbies.

Having come to the playa the previous Saturday and immediately fall ill with the flu(thanks medical tent for the 3 bags of saline and the offer of a trip to Reno) this was only my second trip out at night all week.
I had given up on wearing any of my costumes in efforts to keep as warm as possible, so I probably looked like a bit of a weekend tourist and at 6ft4 a formidable target for their macho bullshit.

[Hoolie]

Sounds to me like there was some kind of contest going on to see who could confiscate the most glowsticks through mock shakedowns.

[DoriumLux]

LOL. I'm sorry. So messed up and yet soo funny.

[gyre]

I wonder if they would find it amusing to learn the special penalty for robbery on federal land.
Bound to be some special penalties we've never heard of.


I had trouble with a gang of crackheads that kept hitting my place even after I had caught them.
One of them was with some people and kept protesting his innocence to me.
I told him there wouldn't be any question next time.
And that I wouldn't involve the police next time.

He got a really big smile because he knew he'd gotten away with it yet again.

Then he began to realize what I meant.
The smile disappeared.

I haven't seen him in the neighborhood since.

[unjonharley]

Years ago our house was robbed.. They left bread bags with glue in then.. I got all the stuff back w/a base ball bat.. The ones i could not get at turned them selfs in. wounder why? One did not plea and went to court.. I had to play it close so as to stay out of trouble.. I was asked how I got our husehold stuff back.. I told the court that "i just asked for and it was returned" I was asked the second time and said the same thing.. The judge and i have been long term friends.. He stopped me in the hall and asked me.. I come from a time when we took care of our own.. I believe in collecting 20 year old debts..

[troyds]

DM,

Thanks for that. I’m not sure what is perpetuating this anti-glow campaign in such an effrontery fashion as to give the most boorish fucktard a platform for physical and verbal intimidation on the playa, or anywhere else for that matter. I suppose it is an easy issue for the stupid to grab onto. It is “default common.â€

[gyre]

You can still file a complaint.
I think a link was posted.
There is no agenda but theft.

[thirt33n]

THIRT33N STOLE MY VIRGINITY and my SENSE OF SHAME!!!!



i want them back RIGHT NOW!

damn simon, you're a pushover. i never knew.

you can have them back now, i guess.

best hold on a bit tighter, and don't fall in the fire.

[theCryptofishist]

I wasnt out there this year, but I have been a part of PG&E for many, many years and I can tell you that this incident is being investigated ....

Just curious as to the source of the knowledge. Certainty of procedure? Friends in PG&E? Chat on the list serve?

[troyds]

Gyre,

Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ve been romanticizing a bunch of turds.

I did look back through this thread and didn’t really see one. I’ll dig around until I find something. Should I be looking on the BM site or the local area police site?

At the very least it will be on file somewhere.

Thanks,

T

[gyre]

I thought it was on this thread somewhere.
You could always call the sheriffs dept.
Someone said they were given a link to file on.
Maybe they didn't post it.
Definitely keep the org informed.

[troyds]

Ok Gyre,

I just sent a letter to org and if they don't respond to me at all, then I guess I will talk to the police even though I'd really rather not do that and let them put my info in their computers as a "burner" or however they profiles us. That's kind of spooky considering the whole state of Homeland Security these days. We'll see.

Thanks for your help and consideration of this matter,

T

[BitterDan]

Get a rope!

[Mosin]

The reason these tales are so disturbing to me is the fact that I would go from my usual state of BM nirvana/peace/love/highness/giving (WHY I ATTEND THE EVENT) to absolutely fucking USPS ballistic if some DPW fuckwad or anyone on the playa tried for even a split second to pull some fake authority trip on me and take my shit as a "prank." I would be exponentially more volatile if I saw the same happening to someone younger/less assertive than me, more baked than me, a nube, and/or someone smaller/meeker etc. Needless to say perhaps, but I do not want to be furious and/or arrested for pwning some idiot/s during my Burn!! (assuming I don't get pwned myself in the process )



Alas... a solution? One viable one would be to add a short para. to the Survival Guide near the "moop" section specifically explaining that anyone demanding relinquishment of any legal items: glow sticks, blinky's, beer, buttplugs etc etc (especially anyone flashing badges... any badges, demanding such stuff..) is impersonating a LEO on federal land and should be ignored AFTER BEING PHOTOGRAPHED by the intended victim and/or their friends, and ultimately reported to the Rangers at the soonest opportunity. The nubes deserve some guidance/warning here.

In foreign cities where "fake police" prey on tourists by flashing badges to scam your $/wallet/bag (such as Isfahan, Iran, or sections of Bangkok) tourist/expat hotels post this info in the lobby--including the photograph suggestion due to the global proliferation of cell phone cams and digital cams--basically ordering you to ignore anyone but a unniformed officer, and listing the bullshit scenarios/lines tourists might hear from cop poseurs... all a sure sign that they are full of shit. The photos help bust the perps, and/or humiliate them as they join the ranks of losers on the Wall of Shame.

Thoughts?

XO

Mosin

[ygmir]

Get a rope!

I'll bring the picante sauce.............

[somekind]

Sounds like pirates to me. ArRGGHH!

[mars]

File report here:

http://www.washoesheriff.com/

click on "File Report"

[geekster]

http://www.burningman.com/installations ... a.html#COG

COG
by Laurent Martin aka Lowrent the Clown
The COALITION in OPPOSITION to GLOWSTICKS, or C.O.G. for short, is a new unofficial department at Burning Man which registers individuals, with real laminates, to collect and confiscate any and all glowsticks throughout the event. The collected glow sticks will then be burnt in the man burn as a testament to our indulgence, waste and, well, America.

How about the Art Car Inspection Division (ACID) next year?

[Zulegoona]

So in 09 will there be a performance art piece from a clown based on torture and rape,...

I can almost hear it now; ...to ah,... reflect the helplessness of so called civilized humanities helplessness in the face of hideous aggression.

My ah group yeah that’s it group considers true spiritual and cultural evolution spotty at best and wants to demonstrate the hypocrisy of civilized morays by torturing and raping random individuals of both genders and assembling their mutilated bodies into a sculpture to be placed near the temple.

There has got to be grant money for something like that don’t you think?

Some things no mater how well they are executed are not art.

[geekster]

What I was hoping people might get by my posting that is that if they had read a little before they went "off", then they might have a different take on it. That some people are pissed doesn't surprise me. It was probably designed to get a rise out of people who are "spring loaded" to react like that. Noboy "took" anything from anyone. People were given a line of crap and some swallowed it hook, line, and sinker and like sheep, did as they were told. Once they realized they had been had, they get upset and attempt to strike back in some way rather than take a lesson in gullibility and learn from it. Don't be so fucking passive. If you are, you will get taken advantage of every time. That is true for a person, a community, or a country. I see it as an exercise in the (self) identification of "sheeple". Now they all want to run to mommy and tell.

What I see is people refusing to take responsibility for their OWN role in losing their shit and attempting to push the blame onto someone else to ease their embarrassment from having fallen for it. Don't believe everything someone with some random laminate tells you at Burning Man.

[Zulegoona]

You do make a point Geekster, but it still boils down to people taking advantage of others, and that should not be tolerated no mater if it is by a person a community or a country. Yes ultimately taking care of yourself is your responsibility but a part of that is not accepting the actions of those that pray on others.

[geekster]

"it still boils down to people taking advantage of other"

Or it could be looked at as an opportunity to allow yourself to be taken advantage of and how it turns out is up to you. It isn't a hippie love-fest for a lot of people. Some of what is out there is designed to make you think, to question yourself, to learn, to grow, to evolve, to not be such a sheep next time. It makes one stronger in a way. Yeah, it breaks the heart of the idealist who thinks BM is one big love fest ... but that is in Berlin, not the Nevada desert. Empower yourself.

One could have just as easily responded that they were with the Coalition for the Proliferation of Glowsticks and that they would have to confiscate all of COG's stash to redistribute to the citizens of BRC in order to "enlighten" the masses, or some such bullshit in reply.

People have a right to ask and you have a right to comply, or not. If I walk up to you and say I don't have any money and you give me a dollar, and you see me do the same thing to 100 other people in a crowd, you are going to feel like shit and possibly want to do something about that, but giving the dollar was your choice. Trust but verify.

[mars]

I can understand and go along with such a prank happening in BRC.

But not at the gate where, even though volunteers, the gate staff are people in a position of authority and perceived as being "gate-keepers" who may or may not allow you into the event.

In that setting, it becomes more than prank and steps into the realm of theft and abuse of authority.

[unjonharley]

I can understand and go along with such a prank happening in BRC.

But not at the gate where, even though volunteers, the gate staff are people in a position of authority and perceived as being "gate-keepers" who may or may not allow you into the event.

In that setting, it becomes more than prank and steps into the realm of theft and abuse of authority.

What mars said..

not cute not funny. theft and abuse

[EB]

What I was hoping people might get by my posting that is that if they had read a little before they went "off", then they might have a different take on it. That some people are pissed doesn't surprise me. It was probably designed to get a rise out of people who are "spring loaded" to react like that. Noboy "took" anything from anyone. People were given a line of crap and some swallowed it hook, line, and sinker and like sheep, did as they were told. Once they realized they had been had, they get upset and attempt to strike back in some way rather than take a lesson in gullibility and learn from it. Don't be so fucking passive. If you are, you will get taken advantage of every time. That is true for a person, a community, or a country. I see it as an exercise in the (self) identification of "sheeple". Now they all want to run to mommy and tell.

What I see is people refusing to take responsibility for their OWN role in losing their shit and attempting to push the blame onto someone else to ease their embarrassment from having fallen for it. Don't believe everything someone with some random laminate tells you at Burning Man.

What a steaming load.

These idiots impersonated authority figures and stole property. Mostly from women if the stories I've read here are accurate. Another black eye for the Borg this year.

Please, oh please, playa gods, have Geekster try to pull this shit on ME next year...

[unjonharley]

I go to Burning Man to do my own thing

Not to be robbed by BMorg staff at the gate..

This is a police matter..

[Zulegoona]

"it still boils down to people taking advantage of other"

Or it could be looked at as an opportunity to allow yourself to be taken advantage of and how it turns out is up to you. It isn't a hippie love-fest for a lot of people. Some of what is out there is designed to make you think, to question yourself, to learn, to grow, to evolve, to not be such a sheep next time. It makes one stronger in a way. Yeah, it breaks the heart of the idealist who thinks BM is one big love fest ... but that is in Berlin, not the Nevada desert. Empower yourself.

One could have just as easily responded that they were with the Coalition for the Proliferation of Glowsticks and that they would have to confiscate all of COG's stash to redistribute to the citizens of BRC in order to "enlighten" the masses, or some such bullshit in reply.

People have a right to ask and you have a right to comply, or not. If I walk up to you and say I don't have any money and you give me a dollar, and you see me do the same thing to 100 other people in a crowd, you are going to feel like shit and possibly want to do something about that, but giving the dollar was your choice. Trust but verify.

I’m not suggesting it is a hippie love fest , decency in not just the a hippy love fest thing , I do still believe it is just plan wrong to take advantage of others , it’s wrong to shrug off or look the other way as others do it or think of it as a good learning experience. There are all sorts of ways a person can try to justify their actions but it doesn’t change the fact that it is wrong .

The world may not be a decent place but accepting that will only insure it never will be.